China Is Watching: First F-35A Lightning II Stealth Fighter Aircraft Arrives in Japan
The Pentagon announced Monday that the first F-35A Lightning II aircraft for the 13th Fighter Squadron has arrived at Misawa Air Base in northern Japan. It’s the start, the Pentagon said, of fifth-generation air power for that squadron.
Per Air and Space Forces, this marks the first time the Air Force has brought F-35s to its base in Japan.
“Bringing the F-35 to Misawa underscores our long-standing commitment to Japan and the region,” Air Force Col. Paul Davidson, 35th Fighter Wing commander. “It strengthens our ability to respond quickly and operate seamlessly with our Japanese partners.”
U.S. Air Force Maj. Kristin Wolfe performs a demonstration in the F-35A Lightning II during at the Reno Air Races in Reno, Nevada, September 19, 2021. The F-35 Lightning II Demonstration Team is based out of Hill Air Force Base, Utah. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Nicolas Myers)
The Pentagon had announced a “Modernization Plan for Tactical Aircraft Based in Japan” in the summer of 2024.
The arrival of the F-35s replaces the F-16 Fighting Falcons previously at the base.
The Pentagon is pushing the notion that the arrival of the jets represents a continuing commitment by the U.S. to defending Japan and the Indo-Pacific region. Japan is in proximity to both China and North Korea.
Per Stars and Stripes, the move is positioned as “part of a sweeping U.S. force realignment in Japan, which also includes the stationing of F-15EX Eagles on Okinawa and the replacement of Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets with F-35Cs at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni.”
That report added that the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, which shares the base with the U.S., has had its own F35-A jets at the base for eight years.
Where the F-35 Fighters Will Be Positioned
According to an Air and Space Forces chart, Misawa Air Base is the 14th American base where the U.S. has stationed F-35s. They are scheduled to arrive at Barnes Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts this year, Kingsley Field in Oregon next year, and Moody Air Force Base in Georgia in 2030.
A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II assigned to the 95th Fighter Squadron is parked on the flightline during exercise Noble Panther 26-4 at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, March 9, 2026. Airmen participated in night sorties, requiring them to perform their tasks in low-light conditions while staying watch for potential simulated attacks. These high-intensity, realistic scenarios were designed to build the confidence and muscle memory required for combat operations. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Zeeshan Naeem)
In addition to the F-35s that have arrived at the U.S. base in Japan, Japan is also an F-35 Foreign Military Sales (FMS) participant. Japan is one of the few non-NATO countries in the F-35 program. Japan also operates a final assembly and check-out (FACO) facility in Nagoya.
F-35s in Iran
The U.S. and Israel are both using F-35s in Operation Epic Fury in Iran, among other jets, just as both countries used them last summer when the U.S. attacked Iran’s nuclear program in Operation Midnight Hammer.
Last week, an F-35 was struck in combat, although it was not shot down. Per CNN, Central Command said on March 19 that the jet had made an emergency landing at a base in the Middle East, after it was struck by what they believed was Iranian fire. The pilot was wounded and treated for injuries.
“The aircraft landed safely, and the pilot is in stable condition,” Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for US Central Command, said in that statement. “This incident is under investigation.”
It was the first time a U.S. jet was struck during the current conflict, although the U.S. has lost jets in other ways. It is also believed to be the first time enemy fire has struck an F-35 in any combat scenario.
Speaking of F-35s in the Middle East, they were a source of controversy late last year, when President Donald Trump announced that he had approved the sale of the jets to Saudi Arabia. It was announced ahead of the visit to the U.S. by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The jets are not expected to be delivered for several years. If the deal goes forward, it would be the first time F-35s have been made available to a non-democracy, or to a country in the Middle East besides Israel, although Turkey was kicked out of the F-35 program in 2019.
It had been discussed, during the Biden Administration, that F-35s might be approved for the Saudis as part of a normalization agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel, although that ultimately never happened. Israel, last November, was reportedly still pushing for the sale to be conditioned on Saudi-Israeli normalization.
Per a Times of Israel report, the “qualitative military edge” doctrine, in which the U.S. guarantees that it will help Israel keep an edge over its neighbors, will remain intact, mostly through modifications that Israel does that other countries do not.
The Canada Question
Meanwhile, the question of whether Canada is going to go forward with its planned purchase of F-35s has now dragged on for a year.
When Mark Carney was elected prime minister of Canada last year, he put the planned purchase of 88 F-35s into review, amid trade battles with the U.S. and the president’s talk of making Canada the 51st state. The purchase from Lockheed Martin had first been announced in 2023.
A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II assigned to the F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team performs a practice airshow performance at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, Jan. 11, 2023. The F-35 Demo Team performs rehearsal flights regularly to maintain required flying certifications and to uphold and maintain their mission and Air Force recruiting standards. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kaitlyn Ergish)
A decision had been expected by the end of 2025, but the question remains open, with occasional reports stating that Canada is looking to replace some of the fleet with Gripens from Saab. Earlier this week, Saab’s CEO said that talks to do so remain “intensive.”
“We are providing as much information as possible to the Canadian authorities and the politicians and industry to make sure that the case is accessible, in terms of how quickly we can do this, affordability, infrastructure perspectives,” Saab president and CEO Micael Johansson said this week in a CTV interview.
Meanwhile, the commander of NORAD testified earlier this month that F-35s are not needed for the defense of North America or the Arctic.
U.S. Air Force General Gregory M. Guillo appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee and disagreed with a central claim about why Canada needs to go forward with the full F-35 purchase.
U.S. Air Force Maj. Melanie “Mach” Kluesner, pilot of the F-35A Demonstration Team, performs aerial maneuvers at the Wings and Eagles Airshow at Kingsley Field, Oregon, on July 19, 2025. The demonstration team travels across the country to showcase the power and precision of the world’s most advanced 5th-generation fighter jet. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Nicholas Rupiper)
“Those capabilities are better used overseas where their stealth, air-to-ground weapons, and penetration capability are needed,” the general told the committee, per the Ottawa Citizen.
The Citizen added that “the fighter jet file is an extremely sensitive one for the Carney government, and the Canadian Forces have been trying to limit the amount of information the public is told about the F-35 deal.”
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About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
