Ｆ３５Ｂ、宮崎に配備へ　対中国、南西防衛強化―防衛省調整

　防衛省は、最新鋭ステルス戦闘機Ｆ３５Ｂを航空自衛隊新田原基地（宮崎県新富町）に配備する方向で調整に入った。複数の同省関係者が５日、明らかにした。自衛隊基地へのＦ３５Ｂ配備は初めて。今後、地元自治体に説明するなど調整に入り、２０２４年の運用開始を目指す。
　中国は沖縄県・尖閣諸島周辺で領海侵入を繰り返すなど、東シナ海での威圧的な動きを強めている。Ｆ３５Ｂの南西方面への配備には、中国をけん制し、対処力・抑止力を強化する狙いがある。（2021/04/05-17:00）

Japan's Defense Ministry is considering deploying F-35B state-of-the-art stealth fighters to the Air Self-Defense Force's Nyutabaru base in Miyazaki Prefecture, southwestern Japan, multiple ministry sources said Monday.
   The F-35B deployment, the first for an SDF base, is aimed at countering China's coercive behavior in the East China Sea, such as repeated intrusions into Japanese territorial waters off the Senkaku Islands.
   The ministry plans to start operating the F-35Bs at the Nyutabaru base in 2024, the sources said.
   The F-35B, a fifth-generation fighter jet, has short takeoff and vertical landing capabilities, enabling it to use short runways at civilian airports on remote islands.
   The ministry is also considering using the F-35B aboard the Maritime SDF's Izumo and Kaga destroyers after upgrading them.