Japan Air Self-Defense Force
| Japan Air Self-Defense Force | |
|---|---|
| |
Emblem of the Air Self-Defense Force | |
| Founded | 1 July 1954 |
| Country | Japan |
| Type | Air force Space force |
| Role | |
| Size |
|
| Part of | Japan Self-Defense Forces |
| Headquarters | Ichigaya, Shinjuku, Tokyo |
| Mottos | "Key to Defense, Ready Anytime!" |
| Website | www |
| Commanders | |
| Commander-in-Chief | Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi |
| Minister of Defense | Shinjirō Koizumi |
| Chief of Staff, Joint Staff | General Hiroaki Uchikura |
| Chief of Staff, Air Self-Defense Force | General Takehiro Morita |
| Insignia | |
| Roundel | |
| Flag | |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Electronic warfare | E-767, EC-1, E-2C/D, YS-11EA/EB |
| Fighter | F-15J/DJ, F-2A/B, F-35A/B |
| Helicopter | UH-60J, CH-47J (LR) |
| Trainer | T-3, T-7, T-400, T-4 |
| Transport | C-1, C-2, C-130H, Hawker 800, Gulfstream IV, Boeing 777 |
| Tanker | KC-767, KC-130 |
The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (Japanese: 航空自衛隊, Hepburn: Kōkū Jieitai), JASDF (空自, Kūji), also referred to as the Japanese Air Force, is the air and space branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, responsible for the defense of Japanese airspace, other air and space operations, cyberwarfare and electronic warfare. The JASDF carries out combat air patrols around Japan, while also maintaining a network of ground and air early-warning radar systems. The branch also has an aerobatic team known as Blue Impulse and has provided air transport in UN peacekeeping missions.
The JASDF had an estimated 49,913 personnel as of 2018, and as of 2023 operates about 712 aircraft, approximately 321 of them being fighter aircraft.
The service was to be renamed in 2027 to the Japan Air and Space Self-Defense Force (航空宇宙自衛隊, Kōkū Uchū Jieitai), in recognition of the increasing importance of the space domain. However, the schedule was then changed to 2026 in the 2026 defense budget.