Shinjiro Koizumi

Force in Play

Announced AMRAAM assembly agreement with the US

Japan will host a plant that does final assembly and testing of the AIM-120 AMRAAM, the air-to-air missile carried by F-35 fighters. Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth agreed to the facility on Oct. 28 in Cebu, Philippines.

Updated Oct 31

Rule Changes

As of May 2026: Managing first wave of partner government responses; expected to host Philippine Defense Secretary Teodoro for bilateral talks

Japan banned lethal weapons exports in 1967 and tightened the prohibition in 1976. On April 21, 2026, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's cabinet scrapped those limits.

Updated May 31

Force in Play

As of May 2026: Coordinating international messaging on Chinese pressure while overseeing Japan's air-defense response

What began with Chinese carrier fighters lighting up Japanese jets with radar near Okinawa has mushroomed into a full-spectrum crisis. After China and Russia sent bombers circling Japan, the US flew B-52s with Japanese fighters over the Sea of Japan.

Updated May 11

Force in Play

As of May 2026: Front-line manager of the radar crisis, publicly challenging Beijing’s version of events.

Chinese J-15 jets from the carrier Liaoning repeatedly locked targeting radar onto Japanese F-15s near Okinawa on December 6, forcing Japan to scramble jets and file an emergency protest. Days later, Washington publicly accused Beijing of destabilizing behavior and vowed its commitment to Japan was "unwavering."

Updated May 10

Built World

As of May 2026: Oversees Self‑Defense Forces’ disaster response deployments

On December 8, 2025, a magnitude 7.6 offshore earthquake struck off Aomori Prefecture in the Sanriku region at 23:15 JST. It shook Hachinohe at a maximum 'upper 6' intensity and triggered tsunami warnings forecasting waves up to three meters for parts of Hokkaido, Aomori, and Iwate.

Updated May 10

Force in Play

As of May 2026: Leads Japan’s military response and public framing of the radar incident

In early December 2025, China's Liaoning carrier strike group sailed through waters near Japan's southwest island chain and into the western Pacific. Over two days, between Okinawa's main island and Minamidaito and then east of Kikai Island, it conducted roughly 100 take-offs and landings of J-15 fighters and helicopters.

Updated May 10

Force in Play

As of May 2026: Leading Japan’s military and diplomatic response to the radar lock incidents

On December 6, 2025, two Chinese J-15 carrier fighters from the Liaoning locked fire-control radar on Japanese F-15s over international waters southeast of Okinawa. Japan's defense minister Shinjiro Koizumi called the lock-ons "dangerous" and "extremely regrettable," and Tokyo lodged a formal protest.

Updated May 10