PRESS

Japan is also developing its own stealth fighter, the
Advanced Technology Demonstrator-X, to replace the
F-2s. The C-2 transport, the successor to the C-1, promises
to improve substantially the range and capacity of
the ASDF’s lift. Japan’s air service will acquire new
airborne early warning aircraft, aerial refueling tankers,
and transports to augment the ASDF’s ability to
patrol the airspace around the Japanese islands. Japan
will also invest in UAVs—a joint asset available to the
three services—to enhance its ISR capabilities. The
leading contender to enter service with the ASDF is
the high altitude, long endurance Global Hawk.
The GSDF is undergoing the most dramatic restructuring
and reorganization of recent years. Reflecting
Tokyo’s judgment that the risk of a homeland
invasion is negligible, about 700 main battle tanks and
600 artillery pieces will be reduced to 300 and 300, respectively,
over a 10-year period. Tank and artillery
units will also be removed from Honshu Island and
consolidated on Hokkaido and Kyushu Islands. (See
Table 13-1.)
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