Japan’s Forces Must Watch North and South : AWACS for Chinese Navy, Alert for Russian Recon Planes
from MSN SANKEI webnews 2012.9.21 01:37
Japan Air Self Defense Force E-767 AWACSOperations
of two frigates of Chinese Navy was found in northern sea of Senkaku
Islands, Okinawa Prefecture on September 20; it was the first sight of
Chinese warships at the subject sea area after the Government of Japan
purchased the islands from a Japanese national.Japan
Air Self Defense Force flew AWACS E-767s to watch around the islands as
a countermeasure of higher alert. On the same day, it was detected in
the Sea of Japan of two aircraft including reconnaissance plane of
Russia that approached to Japan’s airspace. Japan’s self-defense forces
are forced to operate in two fronts.Government
officials in Tokyo confirmed detection of the two frigates at the
northern sea of Senkaku Islands from 19th to 20th September and the two
ships have not entered neither contiguous zone nor territorial water.Maritime
Self Defense Force has been patrolling by P-3C flight once a day around
the Senkakus. This time, the government has increased its presence by
mobilizing AWACS E-767s and E-2Cs as well as OP-3,converted P-3C for
graphic intelligence gathering around the Senkakus for watching Chinese
maritime patrol vessels and aircraft at the area.OP-3
is capable to watch the sea area from higher altitude than P-3Cs.
Although designed to detect aircraft, E-2C can find approaching
large-type vessels. AWACS E-767 is more versatile by gathering and
organizing data from OP-3 and E-2C for sharing information serving as a
relay station.
OP-3C of Maritime Self Defense ForceTwo
Russian aircraft that approached to Japan’s airspace were identified as
an Il-20 electronic reconnaissance and a Su-24 tactical reconnaissance
aircraft. They repeated come and go to approach to Japan’s airspace
while circling on the Sea of Japan. This
simultaneous provocative presence around Japan by China and Russia did
take place immediately after the 3/11 earthquake-tsunami of 2011 that
jolted eastern part of Japan. While Japan-US forces were tied up with
relief operations at that time, China intentionally neared its aircraft
belonging to national maritime bureau to a destroyer of Japan; Russia
flew its Il-20 so close to Japanese territory.
Sankei Shimbun, May 17, 2012 Shin-ichiro
Ito, President of All Nippon Airways (ANA) told at a press conference
on May 17 that he paid respect to JAL’s efforts to their corporate
rehabilitation while raising a concern that ‘if there is a fair and
level market for us.’ Japan Airlienes had announced a robust and higher
than expected corporate performance for previous year prior to this
press conference.What
Ito referred was that ANA sees JAL’s strengthening was possible as it
receives a tail-wind legal supports following JAL's filing of
bankruptcy, thus distorting ‘competitive market environment.’ 。JAL’s
net profit for a year ending March 2012 was JPY186.6 billion (ca US$23
billion), a record high iin its history while ANA could record JPY28
billion only.JAL’s
better performance can be attributed to special financial benefits as
the company could carry over huge amount of deficit to following years
thus lowering the payment of corporate tax by balancing out as well as
lowered amount of depreciation costs as the company is under application
of corporate bankruptcy law.Ito
stated in the press conference that ANA recognizes JAL’s rehabilitation
processes are legitimate but ANA cannot achieve a comparable level of
net profit. However he bitterly commented that fair competition could
benefit consumers after all.
From Yomiuri Shimbun, March 16, 2012Government
of Japan has started a study to retire a couple of Boeing 747-400s by
fiscal 2018 (ending March 31, 2019). These jumbo jets were procured in
1991 as government official aircraft of Japan.Major
airlines in Japan already retired a big fleet of 747s and maintenance
of the government aircraft is getting difficult these days. A plan to
introduce the latest medium-size jetliner Boeing 787 is seemingly most
probable.787
is being supported as it can get sustainable maintenance in Japan while
the aircraft can fly as long as 15,000Km range. Another charming point
of 787 is that about 35% of its parts and components are made in Japan
as considered as semi-domestic product. Expected price of official 787
would be JPY20 billion and two aircraft would be procured.Current
fleet of official 747s are stationed in Chitose Air Base and operated
by special squadron of Japanese Air Self-Defense Force. Crew and
maintenance personnel were trained by Japan Airlines. However, JAL as
well as ANA, once big operators of 747s, have already retired the fleet.
Now only NCA, a freight operator, flies 747 and the company is also a
launch customer of 747-8F.In
parallel to long-haul government aircraft, there is a call for
introducing smaller aircraft for easy access and handling especially to
purchase MRJ by Mitsubishi Aircraft to boost the sales of the Japan-made
passenger aircraft.
From Fuji Sankei Business Eye, March 7 2012A
mission from Keidanren, Japan’s to top business association, met with
president of Vietnam, Mr. Truong Tan San, in Hanoi on March 6. Hiromosa
Yonekura, chairman of Keidanren and chairman of Sumitomo Chemicals,
requested the president to adopt Japanese technologies to build
domestic infrastructures in Vietnam.President
San remarked on Japan’s first regional jet passenger aircraft, MRJ,
under development by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Mitsubishi Aircraft
that he would ‘let Vietnam Airlines to reply to your request,’ that
was quite unusual statement from a head of a state.At
the meeting, Hideaki Oomiya, vice chairman of Keidanren and president
of Mitsubishi Heavy industries told the Vietnamese president that his
company was constructing a parts factory for aircraft in Vietnam in
order to develop human resources to under take aircraft maintenance. On
previous day, the mission got a commitment from Vu Huy Hoang, the
Vietnamese minister of industry and commerce that the minister had
already instructed to relevant organizations to step forward to consider
intoduction of MRJ. The regional jet, with collaborated sales pitch of
public-private sectors, is now likely to be purchased by Vietnam.
JAL’s Performance shows Better-than-Expected Operating Profit of $1.8 Billion
from Mainichi Shimbun, 8 November 2011
Japan
Airlines publicly announced its expected result of consolidated
performance of a year ending in March. The sales amount showed a
sluggish growth due to the effect of the East Japan Earthquakes in last
March. However, following a drastic business restructuring since
January 2010 when the airline went bankruptcy, its operating income is
expected to reach JPY140 billion which is twice the size of the target
of its rehabilitation plans. This better performance is to pave way to
re-listing of the stocks of the company expected sometime around
September 2012.
The
3-11 disasters brought with a large drop of passengers in April-May
period, resulting as its sales amount of JPY1.15 trillion, smaller than
the target by the rehabilitation plans.In
terms of business size, ANA still outnumbers JAL by annual sales.
However, JAL will earn more than two times of ANA in operating profit.On
the same day, JAL announced its mid-term performance ending September
2011 as JPY599.8 billion of sales and JPY106 billion of operating
profit.
from various reports,
October 9, 2012
Three makers are intensifying to appeal their respective products for sale to Japan as it is closing its selection of next fighter for Air Self-Defense Force.
New type will replace F-4E Phantom II fleet (103 including modified F-4EJ Kai) and Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Lockheed Martin F-35A and Eurofighter Typhoon are vying for the selection in coming weeks.
Lockheed Martin has brought in and demonstrated a F-35 cockpit simulator to Tokyo, appealing its high end performance. The company revealed its proposal could satisfy all conditions including delivery time imposed by Japan. Particularly, its stealth performance may appeal to Japan where it would face new generations of fighters in China and Russia in near future.
Boeing, on the other hand, has appealed F-A-18E’s superiority in terms of product supply and cost while emphasizing the company was willing to offer 70-80% of the production for localization with licensing.
BAE Systems, proposing Eurofighter Typhoon,made a presentation in British Embassy in Tokyo with attendance of ambassadors of participating countries, in a unprecedented manner, and called for attention of Japanese decision makers for its superiority and price.
Defense Ministry would choose the type based on not only performance and price but how extensive Japanese corporations can engaged in production and maintenance as to keep production base of fighter business as the last of F-2 production has been completed recently without the immediate project in sight.
The ministry has already submitted its budget request for fiscal 2012 including JPY55.1 billion for acquisition of the first four aircraft of FX and will finalize the selection by the end of November.
From Nihon Keizai Shimbun/Asahi Shimbun, web editions, 23 September 2011
Mitsubishi
Heavy Industry and JAXA has launched the 19th unit of heavy lifter H2A
carrying the Japanese government’s information gathering satellite
Kogaku #4 on 1:36pm, 23 September (JST) from Tanegashima Space Center.
The satellite was separated from the rocket and put into planned orbit
and the launch was evaluated as successful. H2A has marked 13
consecutive launches without failure.The
new satellite is designed to monitor military installations in North
Korea as well as large scale natural calamity by orbiting about 500km
distance from the surface. It is equipped telescope and high end digital
camera and will replaces the second unit of optical recognisance
satellite whose designed life of five yeas had expired.Japan
plans to operate a combination of optical reconnaissance satellites and
radar satellites. Current three units are all optical information
gathering satellites and two of the three have already passed designed
longevity. By launching a new generation of satellites, two optical and
two radar equipped, Japan would obtain a new capabilities to monitor any
selected place on the surface at least once a day, regardless of time
and the weather. Capabilities of the new optical satellite is classified but it may identify an object on the surface as small as 60cm. Launching of indigenous information gathering satellites was initiated in 1998 after a missile launch over Japan by North Korea.
NODA, Yoshihiko, 95th prime minister since 19th century, born 27 May 1957
Enter the sixth prime minister in five years. Japanese prime minister is given wider authority than most people might think. For instance, he is the commander in chief for all defense affairs.
Let us take a look at what he have spoken before regarding space and aviation matters.
He was showing his initiative to look for defense use of the outer space, as chairman of working team for science and technology application policies at his party. His stance was against the conventional government standpoint to restrain the military use of space. He also showed his idea to pursue ‘Space Treaty’ to allow Japan to use use space for non-aggressive use. He also worked hard to reorganize many divisions in different ministries into ‘Space Agency,’ that is now approved agenda for near future reshuffle of the government organizations.
However, he has so many urgent agenda, mostly domestic such as recovery from natural and nuclear disaster from March 11, too fast appreciation of yen currency, mounting deficit; but it is also true that he must face many unsolved diplomatic issues like Okinawa base relocation, challenges from Korea and China. In this circumstance, it seems he may give lower priority to space policy.
His policy viewpoint is sometimes regarded as ‘hawkish’ and it is a focus of attention whom he would appoint as new Defense Minister. At least my favorite choice of Seiji Maehara has not chance as he was appointed as chief of policy making at his ruling party.
His new cabinet is expected to be launched on September 2.
