Força Aérea de Autodefesa do Japão
The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (Kōkū Jieitai) was founded on 1 July 1954 with 6,738 people, nine years after the Imperial Army and Navy air services disappeared with Japan’s defeat; it has never fought a war, but it has scrambled fighters against foreign aircraft since 1958 – 595 times in the year to March 2026, mostly against Chinese and Russian aircraft – and it is now fielding the F-35A and F-35B, building the GCAP fighter with Britain and Italy, and preparing to become the Japan Air and Space Self-Defense Force.
The Japan Air Self-Defense Force story: rebuilt from American aircraft, a MiG-25 at Hakodate and scrambles since 1958
1910–1945: two imperial air services, and how they ended
Japanese military flying began on 19 December 1910, when Captain Yoshitoshi Tokugawa flew a Farman at the Yoyogi parade ground in Tokyo (English Wikipedia’s army air service article gives 1909; his biography gives 1910). Both services first went to war at Tsingtao in 1914: an army air unit of five aircraft flew 86 sorties, and the navy’s seaplane carrier Wakamiya sent Farman seaplanes against German positions. The army formed an Air Corps in May 1925; the navy built Hōshō, one of the first carriers designed as such. From 1937 both services bombed Chinese cities, and the Chongqing campaign alone counted 268 raids between 1938 and 1944, with thousands of civilians killed. In the Pacific war they struck Pearl Harbor, lost four carriers and 248 aircraft at Midway, and from 25 October 1944 sent pilots on suicide attacks, in which about 3,800 died. Both air services ended with Japan’s defeat in 1945; the JASDF was founded later with no direct predecessor organisation.
1950–1970: an air force rebuilt from American aircraft
The Korean War forced Japan to rearm. On 8 July 1950 MacArthur authorised a 75,000-strong police reserve, the Security Agency followed on 1 August 1952, and an Air Preparation Office opened on 1 February 1954. Sixteen pilot students began training on T-6 trainers on 22 June 1954, and on 1 July 1954 the Air Self-Defense Force was established with 6,738 people. Its first 13 pilots were winged on 30 November 1954 and its first jet pilots graduated on T-33s on 28 May 1955. The United States supplied 180 F-86F Sabres from 1955 and Mitsubishi built 300 more under licence; Kawasaki built 210 T-33s. In 1959 the F-104 was chosen as the next fighter, and 210 F-104Js and 20 F-104DJs equipped seven squadrons. The Starfighter was unforgiving: between 1963 and August 1974, 24 had major accidents and 20 crashed. The display team later called Blue Impulse was ordered formed on 16 April 1960 and drew the Olympic rings over Tokyo in 1964.
1972–1982: Phantoms, a MiG-25 at Hakodate and the first Japanese jets
The F-4EJ Phantom, first flown in Japanese form in 1971 and operational from August 1972, became the backbone of the fighter force: 140 were acquired, most built by Mitsubishi, plus 14 RF-4Es. Japan also designed its own supersonic jets, the T-2 trainer (first flight 20 July 1971) and its strike derivative the F-1, of which 77 were built. On 6 September 1976 the air defence system was humiliated. Lieutenant Viktor Belenko flew a Soviet MiG-25 from Chuguyevka to Hakodate airport, landing at about 1:50 pm. According to the Japanese Wikipedia account, ground radars lost him as he descended to very low level, and the F-4EJs scrambled from Chitose could not pick him out of the ground clutter. The MiG was taken apart, examined and returned in 30 crates on 15 November 1976. The lesson was bought in hardware: 13 E-2C Hawkeyes for low-level early warning and better look-down radar for the F-4EJ. In 1982 a Blue Impulse T-2 crashed at the Hamamatsu air show, killing its pilot.
1980–2011: Eagles, the F-2, missions abroad and the tsunami at Matsushima
The F-15J, first delivered in 1980, replaced the Starfighter and outlasted everything else: 213 F-15J and F-15DJ were built, most by Mitsubishi, and production ended in 1999. The F-2, a heavily redesigned F-16 built in Japan, entered service in 2000, and four E-767 airborne warning aircraft were operational at Hamamatsu from May 2000. A 1992 law allowed the forces to support UN peacekeeping, and JASDF C-130Hs flew for the Cambodia mission and to Rwanda in 1994. The largest mission abroad was Iraq: from March 2004 to December 2008 C-130Hs flew between Kuwait and Iraq, carrying 671.1 tonnes of cargo by November 2008 without loss. On 11 March 2011 the tsunami flooded Matsushima; 18 F-2Bs of the 21st Squadron were damaged or destroyed, 13 were repaired at an estimated 80 billion yen and five were scrapped. Blue Impulse survived because it had flown to Ashiya for the opening of the Kyushu Shinkansen.
The scramble years: China, Russia and the numbers
Scrambling fighters against unidentified aircraft is the JASDF’s one permanent operation, recorded since 1958. For most of the Cold War the traffic was Soviet; since 2010 it has been mainly Chinese. On 13 December 2012 a Chinese government aircraft entered Japanese-administered airspace near the Senkaku Islands, which Japan administers and says are not in dispute, and which China (as the Diaoyu Islands) and Taiwan also claim. The Joint Staff’s series peaked at 1,168 scrambles in FY2016. It counted 704 in FY2024 (464 against Chinese and 237 against Russian aircraft) and 595 in FY2025 (366 and 214), of which the Southwestern Air Defense Force at Naha flew 348. Japan’s account of recent incidents: a Chinese military aircraft violated Japanese airspace in August 2024; a Russian Il-38 did so three times north of Rebun Island on 23 September 2024, when the JASDF fired warning flares for the first time; and in December 2025 carrier-based Chinese J-15s intermittently illuminated JASDF F-15s with radar for about 30 minutes. China’s account of that incident was not found in the sources checked.
2019–2026: F-35, GCAP and an air force heading for space
The F-35A was chosen in December 2011 to replace the F-4EJ Kai, and 42 F-35Bs were added in 2019 for a squadron at Nyutabaru. The programme had a hard start: on 9 April 2019 F-35A 79-8705 was lost off Misawa and its pilot killed, and the investigation blamed spatial disorientation. The last Phantoms retired on 17 March 2021 and the last C-1 transports on 15 March 2025. The F-15J is harder to replace. A plan to upgrade the newer F-15Js as the "Japan Super Interceptor" was estimated at about US$4.5 billion for 98 aircraft in 2019. By 2022 it had become 646.5 billion yen for 68, after the contract in the FY2020 budget was suspended over rising costs. The long-term answer is GCAP, agreed with Britain and Italy on 9 December 2022, to replace the F-2 from 2035. The FY2026 budget buys eight F-35As, three F-35Bs and two KC-46As, and reorganises the service into the Japan Air and Space Self-Defense Force (provisional name). The website still used the old name at 30 September 2026.
The Japan Air Self-Defense Force in numbers
Serviço
- Nome nativo
- 航空自衛隊 (Kōkū Jieitai)The name used by the Ministry of Defense and on the JASDF website; the service’s English pages romanise it Koku-Jieitai. The FY2026 budget renames it 航空宇宙自衛隊 (Air and Space Self-Defense Force, provisional name); the change had not appeared on the website at 30 September 2026
- Fundada
- 1 July 1954Established with 6,738 people after an Air Preparation Office opened on 1 February 1954. The Imperial Army and Navy air services had ceased to exist in 1945; Japanese Wikipedia notes the JASDF, unlike the other two services, had no direct predecessor organisation
- Parte de
- Japan Self-Defense ForcesOne of three services under the Ministry of Defense, with the Ground and Maritime Self-Defense Forces
- Sede
- Air Staff Office, Ichigaya, TokyoAir Defense Command, which commands the four air defence forces, moved from Fuchu to Yokota on 21 March 2012
- Chefe de Gabinete
- Gen. Morita TakehiroIn office since August 2025, according to the JASDF’s own page
- Minister of Defense
- Koizumi ShinjiroIn office since 21 October 2025
Força
- Pessoal
- 43,694 (authorised 46,994)Actual and authorised strength at 31 March 2023, from Ministry of Defense data as given in Japanese Wikipedia. English Wikipedia gives 49,913 for 2018. A 2026 figure was not found on an official page checked
- Aeronaves de combate
-
- F-15J/DJ Eagle — 199–200
- F-2A/B — 85–91
- F-35A and F-35B — 47 in service, about 98 more on order
Sources differ. The MoD figure at 31 March 2023 (via Japanese Wikipedia) was 200 F-15, 91 F-2 and 33 F-35A; Wikipedia’s inventory table, citing FlightGlobal, gives 155 F-15J plus 44 F-15DJ, 62 F-2A plus 23 F-2B and 47 F-35A/B. The 2026 white paper’s aircraft table is published only as an image and could not be read
- Airborne early warning and tankers
-
- E-767 — 4
- E-2C/E-2D Hawkeye — about 16–20
- KC-767J — 4
- KC-46A — 6 delivered
- KC-130H — 2–3
E-2 figures: ten E-2C and six E-2D in March 2023 (Wikipedia, E-2 article) against 20 in Wikipedia’s JASDF table. KC-46A: six delivered by August 2026 according to the KC-46 article; the JASDF table shows four
- Transporte
-
- Kawasaki C-2 — 15–16
- C-130H Hercules — 13–14
- Boeing 777-300ER (government aircraft) — 2
The C-1 retired on 15 March 2025
- Helicópteros
-
- UH-60J — 37–61
- CH-47J — 15–17
The UH-60J figure is contested: 37 at 31 March 2023 in MoD data quoted by Japanese Wikipedia, 61 in the English Wikipedia table
- Treinadores
-
- Kawasaki T-4 — about 178
- Fuji T-7 — 49
- T-400 — 13
The Beechcraft T-6JP Texan II was selected in December 2024 to replace the T-7
- Defence budget (whole ministry)
- 8.81 trillion yen (FY2026 budget, expenditure basis)The MoD budget outline gives 8兆8,093億円 on an expenditure basis; the 2026 white paper digest says FY2026 defence-related spending exceeded 9 trillion yen for the first time, on a wider definition. No separate JASDF total was published in the outline
Infraestrutura
- Air defence forces
-
- Northern Air Defense Force — Misawa
- Central Air Defense Force — Iruma
- Western Air Defense Force — Kasuga
- Southwestern Air Defense Force — Naha
All under Air Defense Command at Yokota. The Airborne Warning and Control Wing is at Hamamatsu and the Air Rescue Wing at Iruma
- Bases
- About 73Japanese Wikipedia’s count of JASDF bases and sites; fighter squadrons fly from seven of them. Misawa is shared with the US Air Force’s 35th Fighter Wing
- Radar sites
- 28The ground radar network behind the scramble system, as counted by Japanese Wikipedia
- Scrambles
- 595 in FY2025704 in FY2024 and a record 1,168 in FY2016 (Joint Staff). The Southwestern Air Defense Force flew 348 of the FY2025 total
- Equipe de exibição
- Blue Impulse, MatsushimaThe 11th Squadron, flying the T-4 since 1996; formed 1960 at Hamamatsu
- Espaço
- Space Operations Wing, Fuchu and Hofu-kitaThe Space Operation Squadron was inaugurated on 19 May 2020; the FY2026 budget adds a Space Operations Group (provisional name)
How the Japan Air Self-Defense Force is organised
An Air Staff Office in Ichigaya and Air Defense Command at Yokota over four air defence forces — Northern, Central, Western and Southwestern — with training, support and test commands alongside. Fighter squadrons fly from seven bases, from Chitose in Hokkaido to Naha in Okinawa, and the one permanent operation is the scramble: 595 in FY2025, mostly against Chinese and Russian aircraft. A Space Operations Wing works from Fuchu and Hofu-kita.
Air Staff Office
In Ichigaya, Tokyo; the JASDF is one of three services of the Japan Self-Defense Forces under the Ministry of Defense. Gen. Morita Takehiro has been Chief of Staff since August 2025, according to the JASDF’s own page. The FY2026 budget renames the service the Japan Air and Space Self-Defense Force (provisional name).
Air Defense Command
Commands the four air defence forces; it moved from Fuchu to Yokota on 21 March 2012. The Airborne Warning and Control Wing is at Hamamatsu, with E-2C/D squadrons at Misawa and Naha, and the Air Rescue Wing at Iruma.
Northern Air Defense Force
The 2nd Air Wing at Chitose with two F-15 squadrons and the 3rd Air Wing at Misawa with the F-35A, facing the Sea of Okhotsk and Russia’s Far East; the force flew 165 scrambles in FY2025, most of them against Russian aircraft.
Central Air Defense Force
The 6th Air Wing at Komatsu on the Sea of Japan coast, with F-15Js and the F-35A arriving, and the 7th Air Wing at Hyakuri with the F-2 for the defence of the Tokyo region.
Western Air Defense Force
The 5th Air Wing at Nyutabaru, with the F-15J and the F-15 conversion school and the planned home of the F-35B squadron, and the 8th Air Wing at Tsuiki with two F-2 squadrons.
Southwestern Air Defense Force
Headquartered at Naha since July 2017, over the 9th Air Wing’s two F-15 squadrons. It flew 348 of the JASDF’s 595 scrambles in FY2025, most of them against Chinese aircraft over the East China Sea.
Air Training Command
The T-4 school of the 1st Air Wing at Hamamatsu, F-2B conversion and the Blue Impulse team with the 4th Air Wing at Matsushima, and T-7 and T-4 training at Shizuhama, Hofu-kita and Ashiya.
Comando de Apoio Aéreo
C-130H, KC-130H and KC-767J with the 1st Tactical Airlift Group at Komaki, and the C-2 with the 2nd at Iruma and the 3rd at Miho. The Special Airlift Group flies the government’s two Boeing 777-300ERs from Chitose.
Air Development and Test Command
The Air Development and Test Wing at Gifu flies every front-line type; the first C-2 was delivered here on 30 June 2016.
What the Japan Air Self-Defense Force flies today
Cada tipo de cobrança, com link para sua página no Livro das Feras, quando houver. Os números indicam as aeronaves registradas, não as aeronaves disponíveis em um determinado dia.
| Tipo | Papel | Em serviço | Desde | Unidades | Notas | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitsubishi (McDonnell Douglas) F-15J/DJ EagleEm serviço | caça de superioridade aérea | 199 | 1980 | 155 F-15J and 44 F-15DJ in Wikipedia’s table (citing FlightGlobal); 200 in MoD data at 31 March 2023. 213 built (165 J, 48 DJ); Japanese Wikipedia counts 13 lost. | ||
| Lockheed Martin F-35A and F-35B Lightning IIEm serviço | Stealth multirole fighter (F-35B: short take-off, vertical landing) | 47 | 2019 | 47 F-35A/B in service with about 98 on order in Wikipedia’s table; MoD data gave 33 F-35A at 31 March 2023. 42 of the total are F-35Bs. The FY2026 budget buys 8 F-35A and 3 F-35B. | ||
| Mitsubishi F-2A/BEm serviço | Multirole and anti-ship strike fighter | 85 | 2000 | 62 F-2A and 23 F-2B in Wikipedia’s JASDF table; 91 in the F-2 article for March 2025 and in MoD data for 2023. 98 built including four prototypes. | ||
| Boeing E-767Em serviço | Alerta e controle aéreo | 4 | 1998 | Four built. | ||
| Northrop Grumman E-2C and E-2D HawkeyeEm serviço | alerta aéreo antecipado | 16 | Ten E-2C and six E-2D in March 2023 (E-2 article); Wikipedia’s JASDF table gives 20 with seven on order. 13 E-2C were bought. | |||
| Boeing KC-767JEm serviço | Tanque e transporte | 4 | Four in MoD data (2023) and Wikipedia. | |||
| Boeing KC-46A PegasusEm serviço | Tanque e transporte | 6 | 2021 | Six delivered by August 2026 (KC-46 article); Wikipedia’s JASDF table shows four with two on order. Two more in the FY2026 budget. | ||
| Lockheed KC-130H HerculesEm serviço | Tanker (helicopter refuelling) and transport | 2 | Two in Wikipedia’s table; three in MoD data for 2023. | |||
| Lockheed C-130H HerculesEm serviço | Transporte tático | 13 | 13 in MoD data (2023); 14 in Wikipedia’s table. | |||
| Kawasaki C-2Em serviço | Transporte estratégico | 16 | 2016 | 16 in MoD data (2023); 15 with four on order in Wikipedia’s table. | ||
| Kawasaki RC-2Em serviço | Electronic intelligence | 1 | 2020 | One, with two on order (Wikipedia). | ||
| Kawasaki EC-1Em serviço | Electronic warfare training | 1 | Um. | |||
| Boeing 777-300EREm serviço | Government VIP transport | 2 | 2019 | Dois. | ||
| Raytheon (Hawker) U-125AEm serviço | Busca e resgate | 25 | 25 in Wikipedia’s table. | |||
| Mitsubishi (Sikorsky) UH-60JEm serviço | helicóptero de busca e salvamento | 37 | 37 in MoD data (31 March 2023) against 61 plus 13 on order in Wikipedia’s table; the gap is not explained in the sources. | |||
| Kawasaki (Boeing) CH-47J ChinookEm serviço | helicóptero de transporte | 15 | 15 in MoD data (2023); 17 with five on order in Wikipedia’s table. | |||
| Gulfstream IV (U-4)Em serviço | Utility and flight inspection | 5 | Five in Wikipedia’s table. | |||
| Cessna Citation Latitude (U-680A)Em serviço | Flight inspection | 2 | Two with one on order (Wikipedia). | |||
| Kawasaki T-4Em serviço | Treinador a jato | 178 | 1988 | About 178 in Wikipedia’s table; 208 built. | ||
| Fuji T-7Em serviço | Treinador principal | 49 | 49. | |||
| Beechcraft T-400Em serviço | Multi-engine and transport crew trainer | 13 | 13 (Wikipedia lists it as the T-1 Jayhawk family). | |||
| Northrop Grumman RQ-4B Global HawkEm serviço | High-altitude reconnaissance drone | 2 | 2022 | Three bought (Misawa article); one was lost on 15 September 2026, leaving two unless others have been delivered. |
Sob encomenda
| Tipo | Encomendado | Primeira entrega | Notas | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lockheed Martin F-35A and F-35B Lightning IISob encomenda | 98 | 2019 | About 98 outstanding in Wikipedia’s table (47 in service). The FY2026 budget buys eight F-35As for 149.3 billion yen and three F-35Bs for 72.5 billion yen.
MaisThe total plan is widely reported as 147 (105 A, 42 B); 47 plus 98 gives 145, and the exact planned total was not confirmed on an official page checked. |
|
| GCAP fighter (with the United Kingdom and Italy)Sob encomenda | 2035 | Announced 9 December 2022; the treaty creating GIGO was signed on 14 December 2023; the industrial joint venture Edgewing (BAE Systems, Leonardo and Japan’s JAIEC) was formed in June 2025.
MaisMitsubishi Heavy Industries leads Japan’s share. A demonstrator is due to fly by the end of 2027 and the aircraft to enter service from 2035, replacing the F-2. Japan’s numbers were not published. |
||
| Boeing KC-46A PegasusSob encomenda | 2 | 2021 | Two in the FY2026 budget for 87.7 billion yen; the US authorised the sale of nine more in September 2024. | |
| Northrop Grumman E-2D Advanced HawkeyeSob encomenda | 7 | Seven on order in Wikipedia’s table; a sale of up to five was approved in March 2023. | ||
| Kawasaki C-2Sob encomenda | 4 | Four on order in Wikipedia’s table; two RC-2s also on order. | ||
| Mitsubishi (Sikorsky) UH-60JSob encomenda | 13 | 13 on order in Wikipedia’s table. | ||
| Kawasaki (Boeing) CH-47J ChinookSob encomenda | 5 | Five on order in Wikipedia’s table. | ||
| Beechcraft T-6JP Texan IISob encomenda | 36 | Selected in December 2024 to replace the Fuji T-7; Textron confirmed the sale in January 2025.
MaisWikipedia’s JASDF table gives 36 on order, but the T-6 article says the number was not disclosed; service expected before 2030. |
Every type the Japan Air Self-Defense Force has retired
14 types, from the Maurice Farman MF.7 and Nieuport VI-M (army); Farman seaplanes (navy) to the Kawasaki C-1. Os números máximos representam as aeronaves incorporadas à frota ao longo de toda a sua vida útil, e não a força total da frota em uma data específica.
| Tipo | Papel | Pico | Servido | Substituído por | Notas | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kawasaki C-1 | Transporte tático | 31 | 1974–2025 | Kawasaki C-2 | 31 built. | |
| McDonnell Douglas / Mitsubishi F-4EJ, F-4EJ Kai, RF-4E and RF-4EJ Phantom II | Fighter, then fighter-bomber and reconnaissance | 154 | 1972–2021 | F-35A | 140 F-4EJ (2 US-built, 11 assembled in Japan, 127 licence-built by Mitsubishi) and 14 RF-4E; 15 F-4EJs converted to RF-4EJ and about 96 upgraded to EJ Kai. | |
| NAMC YS-11 (transport, flight check and electronic variants) | Transport, flight inspection, electronic warfare | MoD data for 2023 still listed four YS-11EB and two YS-11EA. | ||||
| Boeing 747-400 | Government VIP transport | 2 | 1991–2019 | Boeing 777-300ER | Dois. | |
| Mitsubishi F-1 | Anti-ship and ground attack fighter | 77 | 1977–2006 | F-2 | 77 built. | |
| Mitsubishi T-2 | Supersonic advanced trainer | 96 | 1975–2006 | Kawasaki T-4 | 90 production aircraft (28 unarmed, 62 armed) plus prototypes. | |
| Lockheed / Mitsubishi F-104J and F-104DJ Starfighter | Interceptor | 230 | 1963–1986 | F-15J | 210 F-104J (knock-down kits and licence production by Mitsubishi) and 20 imported F-104DJ; 14 later converted to UF-104J/JA target drones. | |
| Mitsubishi A6M Zero (Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service) | Carrier and land-based fighter | 10,939 | 1940–1945 | 10,939 built by Mitsubishi and Nakajima; the navy was the only user. | ||
| Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa (Imperial Japanese Army Air Service) | Lutador | 5,919 | 1941–1945 | 5,919 built. | ||
| Mitsubishi G4M (Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service) | Land-based bomber | 2,435 | 1941–1945 | 2,435 built. | ||
| North American / Mitsubishi F-86F Sabre (and RF-86F) | Lutador diurno | 480 | 1955– | F-104J, F-4EJ | 180 supplied by the United States in 1955–1957 and 300 licence-built by Mitsubishi in 1956–1961; 18 converted to RF-86F in 1962. | |
| Lockheed / Kawasaki T-33A | Jet trainer and liaison | 210 | 1955– | Kawasaki T-4 | 210 licence-built by Kawasaki from 1956; US-supplied aircraft not counted here. | |
| T-6 Texan norte-americano | Treinador principal | 1954– | ||||
| Maurice Farman MF.7 and Nieuport VI-M (army); Farman seaplanes (navy) | First combat aircraft | 9 | 1914– | Five army aircraft (four Farman MF.7, one Nieuport) and four navy Farman seaplanes at Tsingtao in 1914. |
Where the Japan Air Self-Defense Force flies from
Os pinos pretos representam bases ativas, os pinos ocos representam aeródromos que foram desativados. All 16 bases listed here are active, out of about 73 JASDF bases and sites; fighters fly from seven of them, from Chitose to Naha, and Misawa is shared with the US Air Force’s 35th Fighter Wing. Naha, Komatsu, Komaki and several others share their runways with civil airports. Entries with no published aerodrome data carry no pin.
| Base | OACI | Status | Pista | Unidades e aeronaves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AshiyaFukuoka Prefecture | RJFA | Ativo |
|
|
| ChitoseHokkaido | RJCJ | Ativo | 18L/36R4.000 mconcreto18R/36L2.700 mconcreto asfáltico |
|
| GifuGifu Prefecture | RJNG | Ativo | 10/282.700 m |
|
| HamamatsuShizuoka Prefecture | RJNH | Ativo | 09/272.550 mconcreto |
|
| Hofu-kitaYamaguchi Prefecture | Ativo |
|
||
| HyakuriIbaraki Prefecture | RJAH | Ativo |
|
|
| IrumaSaitama Prefecture | RJTJ | Ativo | 17/352.000 mconcreto asfáltico |
|
| KomakiAichi Prefecture | RJNA | Ativo | 16/342.800 m |
|
| KomatsuIshikawa Prefecture | RJNK | Ativo | 06/242.700 mconcreto |
|
| MatsushimaMiyagi Prefecture | RJST | Ativo |
|
|
| MihoTottori Prefecture | RJOH | Ativo |
|
|
| MisawaAomori Prefecture | RJSM | Ativo | 10/283.050 masfalto/concreto |
|
| NahaOkinawa Prefecture | ROAH | Ativo | 18L/36R3.000 m18R/36L2.700 m |
|
| NyutabaruMiyazaki Prefecture | RJFN | Ativo | 10/282.700 mconcreto asfáltico |
|
| ShizuhamaShizuoka Prefecture | Ativo |
|
||
| TsuikiFukuoka Prefecture | RJFZ | Ativo | 07/252.400 mconcreto |
|
Nenhuma base aérea corresponde a essa busca.
Who is stationed where in the Japan Air Self-Defense Force
Unidades voadoras por base, unidades atuais primeiro. Most JASDF fighter squadrons carry numbers in the 200s and 300s under numbered air wings, and they move: the 302nd has flown from Chitose, Naha and Hyakuri and now flies the F-35A at Misawa. American units that flew from the same fields are listed too, each marked as such, and where a squadron number rests on English Wikipedia alone, the entry says so.
- 204th Tactical Fighter Squadron (第204飛行隊)Esquadrão de caça · ativo
- Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ Eagle, Kawasaki T-4
- 304th Tactical Fighter Squadron (第304飛行隊)Esquadrão de caça · ativo
- Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ Eagle, Kawasaki T-4
- 603rd Squadron, Airborne Warning and Control WingEsquadrão de alerta aéreo antecipado · ativo
- Northrop Grumman E-2C/E-2D Hawkeye
- Naha Air Rescue Squadron, Air Rescue WingBusca e salvamento · ativo
- Mitsubishi UH-60J, Raytheon U-125A
- Southwestern Air Defense Missile Group (南西高射群)Defesa aérea terrestre · ativa
- Patriota
- 302º Esquadrão de Caça Tático1985–2009
- McDonnell Douglas / Mitsubishi F-4EJ and F-4EJ Kai Phantom II
- 207th Squadron
- Lockheed / Mitsubishi F-104J Starfighter
- 16th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing (USAF)1954–1971
- F-86 Sabre, F-102 Delta Dagger
- 201º Esquadrão de Caça Tático (第201飛行隊)Esquadrão de caça · ativo
- Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ Eagle, Kawasaki T-4
- 203º Esquadrão de Caça Tático (第203飛行隊)Esquadrão de caça · ativo
- Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ Eagle, Kawasaki T-4
- 701º Esquadrão, Grupo de Transporte Aéreo Especial (特別航空輸送隊)Esquadrão de transporte governamental · ativo
- Boeing 777-300ER (Avião Aéreo Japonês Um)
- Esquadrão de Resgate Aéreo de Chitose, Ala de Resgate AéreoBusca e salvamento · ativo
- Mitsubishi UH-60J, Raytheon U-125A
- 3º Grupo de Mísseis de Defesa AéreaDefesa aérea terrestre · ativa
- Patriota
- 302º Esquadrão de Caça Tático1974–1985
- McDonnell Douglas / Mitsubishi F-4EJ Phantom II
- 4º Grupo de Caça (Força Aérea dos EUA)1954–1957
- F-86 Sabre
- 301st Tactical Fighter SquadronEsquadrão de caça · ativo
- Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II
- 302º Esquadrão de Caça TáticoEsquadrão de caça · ativo
- Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II
- 601st Squadron, Airborne Warning and Control WingEsquadrão de alerta aéreo antecipado · ativo
- Northrop Grumman E-2C/E-2D Hawkeye
- Reconnaissance GroupUnmanned reconnaissance · active
- Northrop Grumman RQ-4B Global Hawk
- 3rd Squadron
- Mitsubishi F-2A/B
- 3rd SquadronEsquadrão de caça · ativo
- Mitsubishi F-2A/B, Kawasaki T-4
- Hyakuri Air Rescue SquadronBusca e salvamento · ativo
- Mitsubishi UH-60J, Raytheon U-125A
- Phantom squadrons (including the 302nd)1972–2020
- F-4EJ, F-4EJ Kai and RF-4E/EJ Phantom II
- 206th and 207th Squadrons1966–
- F-104J Starfighter
- 303rd Tactical Fighter SquadronEsquadrão de caça · ativo
- Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ Eagle, Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II, Kawasaki T-4
- 306th Tactical Fighter SquadronEsquadrão de caça · ativo
- Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ Eagle, Kawasaki T-4
- Tactical Fighter Training Group (aggressors)Adversary training unit · active
- Mitsubishi F-15DJ/J Eagle
- Komatsu Air Rescue SquadronBusca e salvamento · ativo
- Mitsubishi UH-60J, Raytheon U-125A
- 305th Tactical Fighter SquadronEsquadrão de caça · ativo
- Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ Eagle
- 23rd Flying Training Squadron, Flight Training GroupF-15 conversion training · active
- Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ Eagle
- Nyutabaru Air Rescue SquadronBusca e salvamento · ativo
- Mitsubishi UH-60J
- F-35B squadron (planned)Esquadrão de caça · ativo
- Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II
- 202nd Tactical Fighter Squadron1981–2000
- Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ Eagle
- 6th SquadronEsquadrão de caça · ativo
- Mitsubishi F-2A/B, Kawasaki T-4
- 8th SquadronEsquadrão de caça · ativo
- Mitsubishi F-2A/B, Kawasaki T-4
- 304th Tactical Fighter Squadron1977–2016
- F-4EJ Phantom II, F-15J/DJ Eagle
- 21st SquadronFighter conversion training · active
- Mitsubishi F-2B
- 11th Squadron (Blue Impulse)Blue Impulse · Aerobatic display team · active
- Kawasaki T-4
- Matsushima Air Rescue SquadronBusca e salvamento · ativo
- Mitsubishi UH-60J, Raytheon U-125A
- 31st and 32nd Squadrons, 1st Air WingAdvanced jet training · active
- Kawasaki T-4
- 602nd Squadron, Airborne Warning and Control WingAirborne warning and control · active
- Boeing E-767
- Hamamatsu Air Rescue SquadronBusca e salvamento · ativo
- Mitsubishi UH-60J, Raytheon U-125A
- 402nd Squadron, 2nd Tactical Airlift GroupTransporte aéreo tático · ativo
- Kawasaki C-2, Gulfstream IV (U-4)
- Flight Check SquadronFlight inspection · active
- NAMC YS-11FC, Cessna Citation Latitude (U-680A)
- Air Development and Test WingFlight test · active
- Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ, Mitsubishi F-2A/B, Kawasaki C-2, Kawasaki T-4, Fuji T-7
- 401st SquadronTransporte aéreo tático · ativo
- Lockheed C-130H and KC-130H Hercules
- 404th Tactical Airlift Tanker SquadronTanker transport · active
- Boeing KC-767J
- 403rd SquadronTransporte aéreo tático · ativo
- Kawasaki C-2
- 405th SquadronTanker transport · active
- Boeing KC-46A Pegasus
- 13th Flying Training WingTreinamento básico em jato · ativo
- Kawasaki T-4
- Ashiya Air Rescue SquadronBusca e salvamento · ativo
- Air Rescue Wing aircraft
- 35th and 18th Fighter Groups (USAF)1950–
- F-80 Shooting Star
- 12ª Ala de Treinamento de VooPrimary flying training · active
- Fuji T-7
- 11th Flying Training WingPrimary flying training · active
- Fuji T-7
Nenhuma unidade corresponde a essa pesquisa.
Japan Air Self-Defense Force milestones, 1914 to today
19 December: Captain Yoshitoshi Tokugawa makes the first powered flight in Japan at the Yoyogi parade ground, Tokyo. Tokorozawa, the first permanent airfield, opens on 5 April 1911.
Army aircraft and the navy’s seaplane carrier Wakamiya fly the first Japanese air operations, against the German colony at Tsingtao.
War with China: army and navy air services begin bombing Chinese cities; the Chongqing campaign runs from February 1938 to December 1944.
7 December: carrier aircraft attack Pearl Harbor; three days later navy bombers sink HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse.
25 October: the first organised kamikaze mission, at Leyte Gulf.
1 July: the Air Self-Defense Force is established with 6,738 personnel.
16 April: formation of the aerobatic team later called Blue Impulse is ordered at Hamamatsu; it draws the Olympic rings over Tokyo in 1964.
August: the F-4EJ Phantom becomes operational.
6 September: Viktor Belenko lands a Soviet MiG-25 at Hakodate after evading JASDF radar at low level.
4 June: the first F-15J flies in St Louis; 213 F-15J/DJ are built, the last in 1999.
The F-2 enters service; the four E-767s become operational on 10 May.
March: C-130Hs begin the Iraq airlift from Kuwait; the last JASDF personnel leave Kuwait on 18 December 2008.
11 March: the tsunami floods Matsushima, damaging or destroying 18 F-2Bs.
The JASDF flies a record 1,168 scrambles in the fiscal year, according to the Joint Staff.
17 March: the last F-4EJ Kai Phantoms retire. November: the first KC-46A arrives.
9 December: Japan, the United Kingdom and Italy announce GCAP. March: the first RQ-4B reaches Misawa.
15 March: the C-1 transport retires. August: Gen. Morita Takehiro becomes Chief of Staff.
The FY2026 budget renames the service the Japan Air and Space Self-Defense Force (provisional name). 15 September: an RQ-4B from Misawa crashes off Tottori.
Every war Japanese military aviation has fought
Missões e perdas onde constam nos registros, e um espaço em branco honesto onde não constam.
- Siege of Tsingtao 1914 Reconnaissance and bombing against the German colony, alongside a British contingent
- Second Sino-Japanese War 1937–1945 Air superiority, close support and strategic bombing of Chinese cities
- Batalhas de Khalkhin Gol 1939 Fighter and bomber operations against Soviet and Mongolian forces
- Pacific War 1941–1945 Carrier strikes, land-based bombing, air defence of Japan and, from October 1944, suicide attacks
- Air defence scrambles and airspace violations 1958– Scrambling fighters against unidentified aircraft approaching Japanese airspace
The Japan Air Self-Defense Force display team
Each team has its own page: history, aircraft, the display, the accidents and the sources.
Japan Air Self-Defense Force news from Afterburner
Everything MiGFlug’s magazine has published on the Japan Air Self-Defense Force and the aircraft it flies. Esta lista é atualizada automaticamente — novas histórias do Afterburner aparecem aqui.
Everything people ask about the Japan Air Self-Defense Force
What is the Japan Air Self-Defense Force called in Japanese?
Which fighter jets does the Japan Air Self-Defense Force fly?
How often does the JASDF scramble fighters?
Has the Japan Air Self-Defense Force ever fought in a war?
What happened when a Soviet MiG-25 landed in Japan in 1976?
Is the JASDF being renamed?
What will replace the Mitsubishi F-2?
Does Japan fly the F-35B?
What is Blue Impulse?
Why did the F-15J upgrade become so expensive?
Read the aircraft the Japan Air Self-Defense Force flew
Cada tipo com uma página no Livro das Feras, primeiro em serviço e depois pelo ano em que deixou a frota.
Todos os fatos foram verificados.
- JASDF official website: home page and news list (航空自衛隊)Official name 航空自衛隊; news list of September 2026 including the RQ-4B crash reports.
- JASDF: message from the Chief of Staff (航空幕僚長)Gen. Morita Takehiro (森田雄博), Chief of Staff since August 2025 (令和7年8月).
- JASDF: história (航空自衛隊の歩み), seção dos anos 1950Escritório de Preparação Aérea, 1º de fevereiro de 1954; primeira turma de pilotos com 16 integrantes no T-6 a partir de 22 de junho de 1954; Força Aérea de Autodefesa do Japão (JASDF) estabelecida em 1º de julho de 1954 com 6.738 militares; primeiros 13 pilotos receberam suas asas em 30 de novembro de 1954; primeiros pilotos de jato no T-33 em 28 de maio de 1955; primeiro voo público do F-86F em 1º de março de 1956; F-104 selecionado em 13 de maio de 1959.
- JASDF: equipment (装備品)Aircraft categories; three fighter types deployed.
- JASDF English websiteEnglish name Koku-Jieitai (Japan Air Self-Defense Force/JASDF); April 2024 items naming Gen. Uchikura as Chief of Staff.
- JASDF: RQ-4B crash, fourth report (17 September 2026)Misawa-based RQ-4B lost from radar about 12:58 on 15 September 2026 about 50 km north of Tottori Prefecture; no third-party damage; accident board investigating.
- JASDF: RQ-4B crash, seventh report (25 September 2026)Objects believed to be wreckage found on the seabed on 24 September 2026; recovery continuing.
- JASDF Nyutabaru Air Base websiteLists the 305th Squadron and F-15 training units; no F-35B unit shown when checked on 30 September 2026.
- Ministry of Defense: Minister of Defense profileKoizumi Shinjiro, Minister of Defense since 21 October 2025.
- Ministry of Defense: 防衛力抜本的強化の進捗と予算 – 令和8年度予算案の概要 (26 December 2025)Reorganisation of the ASDF into the 航空宇宙自衛隊 (provisional name) and a new Space Operations Group (provisional) in FY2026; 8 F-35A (149.3 billion yen), 3 F-35B (72.5 billion yen), 2 KC-46A (87.7 billion yen); GCAP development through GIGO.
- Estado-Maior Conjunto: 2025年度（令和7年度）緊急発進実施状況について (17 de abril de 2026)595 interceptações no ano fiscal de 2025 (China 366, Rússia 214), 704 no ano fiscal de 2024 (China 464, Rússia 237); pico de 1.168 no ano fiscal de 2016; por força de defesa aérea: Sudoeste 348, Norte 165, Oeste 46, Central 36; 3 de maio de 2025: violação do espaço aéreo por helicóptero da guarda costeira chinesa; dezembro de 2025: detecção de F-15 por radar J-15; dezembro de 2025: voo de bombardeiro China-Rússia.
- Joint Staff press release listIndex of scramble statistics and foreign military activity releases, 2025–2026.
- Defense of Japan 2026, Digest (English)Planned reorganisation into a Japan Aerospace (Air and Space) Self-Defense Force; GIGO established December 2024 and Edgewing June 2025; FY2025 scrambles 595; December 2025 radar illumination for about 30 minutes; FY2026 spending above 9 trillion yen; Space Operations Wing at Fuchu and Hofu-kita.
- Defense of Japan 2025, Digest (English)Chinese military aircraft airspace violation in August 2024; Russian Il-38 violated airspace north of Rebun Island three times on 23 September 2024 and the ASDF used flares as a warning for the first time; FY2024 scrambles 704 (China 464, Russia 237); first F-35B landing on JS Kaga in October 2024.
- JASDF: localizações de base e unidade (基地・部隊の所在地)Lista oficial de locais JASDF por área de força de defesa aérea: Chitose, Misawa, Matsushima, Komatsu, Gifu, Komaki, Shizuhama, Hamamatsu, Iruma, Hyakuri, Yokota, Miho, Hofu-kita, Kasuga, Ashiya, Tsuiki, Nyutabaru, Naha e os locais de radar.
- JASDF Naha Air Base: base introduction (那覇基地紹介)About 5 km south-west of central Naha; area about 2.09 million square metres; the only air base in the south-western area; runways 3,000 m x 45 m and 2,700 m x 60 m (the second opened March 2020); civil-military airport managed by MLIT; F-15, T-4, E-2C/D, UH-60J, U-125A, CH-47J; 13 SDF units; Southwestern Air Defense Force formed from the Southwestern Composite Air Division in July 2017.
- JASDF Naha Air Base home pageOfficial base site; navigation to base introduction, commander, events.
- JASDF Southwestern Air Defense Force: unit introductionHQ at Naha; 9th Air Wing (F-15J, T-4); Southwestern Aircraft Control and Warning Wing; Southwestern Air Defense Missile Group (Patriot); facilities squadron; air band.
- Página inicial da Base Aérea de Chitose da Força Aérea de Autodefesa do JapãoLocal oficial da base: F-15s; unidades da 2ª Ala Aérea; esquadrões de resgate e controle de tráfego aéreo.
- Base Aérea JASDF Chitose: introdução da unidade (千歳基地部隊紹介)Lista das 14 unidades em Chitose, com ligações ao Grupo Especial de Transporte Aéreo e ao Esquadrão de Controle de Tráfego Aéreo de Chitose.
- Página inicial do Grupo de Transporte Aéreo Especial JASDF (特別航空輸送隊)Boeing 777 e o antigo 747; observe que o grupo atingiu a marca de 400 voos em missão em 9 de agosto de 2024.
- Grupo de Transporte Aéreo Especial da JASDF: organizaçãoTrês componentes: quartel-general, 701º Esquadrão e esquadrão de manutenção; transporta convidados de estado e treina tripulantes de cabine.
- JASDF Hyakuri Air Base: history (百里基地の歴史)Navy air group from 1938; JASDF sub-base 1958; runway finished 1965; base opened July 1966 with the 206th and 207th squadrons (F-104); 7th Air Wing from Iruma 1967; F-4 1972; RF-4 1974–1978; F-15 1985–1993; F-2 from 2019–2020; F-4 ended December 2020.
- JASDF Hyakuri Air Base: stationed units7th Air Wing with the F-2 on air defence and airspace-violation duty; Hyakuri rescue squadron (UH-60J, U-125A); control, weather and support units.
- JASDF Misawa Air Base home page3rd Air Wing; F-35A (first Misawa F-35A welcomed in early 2018); 601st Squadron; CH-47J; Northern Air Defense Force band.
- JASDF Hofu-kita Air Base home pageOfficial base site; T-7 trainer.
- Estado-Maior Conjunto: esforços para concluir o trabalho no primeiro trimestre do ano fiscal de 2026 (divulgado em 24 de julho de 2026)181 interceptações entre abril e junho de 2026 (157 no ano anterior): Norte 20, Central 12, Oeste 43, Sudoeste 106; China 139, Rússia 42; voo conjunto H-6 e Tu-95 em 27 de junho de 2026.
Dados verificados em 30/09/2026. As páginas da Ordem de Batalha são geradas a partir de um único conjunto de dados; se algum número aqui divergir de uma página do Livro das Feras, esta página é considerada a mais recente.
Photographs: Photo: Hunini / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Photo: Cp9asngf / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: 航空自衛隊 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0) · Photo: Japan Air Self-Defense Force / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0) · Photo: U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate Airman Christopher Molinari / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: Kentaro Iemoto from Tokyo, Japan / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Photo: Hunini / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: Toshiro Aoki / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Photo: Dylan Agbagni (CC0) from Bordeaux, France / Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · Photo: Balon Greyjoy / Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · Photo: Japan Air Self Defence Force / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0) · Photo: Senior Airman Ashley Richards / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: https://www.mod.go.jp/asdf/ 航空自衛隊 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0) · Photo: Josephus37 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: Rainmaker47 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Photo: Magjavia / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: Los688 / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: 100yen / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Photo: Amayagan / Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · Photo: D. Miller / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) · Photo: San Diego Air and Space Museum / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: SDASM / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: tataquax from Japan / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)