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Japan to Deploy F-35B Stealth Fighters to Nyutabaru Air Base on August 7

Four jets will arrive first in a phased build-up to bolster southwestern island defenses, followed by a September public demonstration allowing residents to assess vertical-landing noise.

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Overview

  • The Defense Ministry has notified Miyazaki authorities that four F-35B fighters will arrive at Nyutabaru Air Base on August 7, marking the start of a phased deployment that will reach eight aircraft by March 2026.
  • The F-35B’s short-takeoff and vertical-landing capability is intended to expand Japan’s air-defense coverage of its southwestern island chains and enable carrier-style operations from Izumo and Kaga vessels.
  • Officials plan a mid-September public demonstration of vertical-landing flights before resuming routine operations, but have offered no new noise mitigation measures.
  • Miyazaki Governor Toshishige Kōno and Nyutabaru Town Mayor Soshi Kojima have expressed regret that resident concerns over vertical-landing training noise remain unaddressed.
  • The deployment, delayed from fiscal 2024 by onboard software setbacks, is part of the 2018 Medium-Term Defense Program and the broader Southwest Shift, which envisions about 40 F-35Bs among a fleet of up to 147 jets.