Special Report

Every Plane in Japan's Air Force

Grant Suneson

Published: August 15, 2022 2:00 pm

The Chinese military exercises that encircled Taiwan in August — a response to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s controversial visit to Taipei — took place just 70 miles from Japanese territory.

During those four days of military grandstanding, China launched ballistic missiles, some of which fell into Japanese waters, a clear signal that any military confrontation over the fate of Taiwan would drag Japan into the conflict. China has claimed Taiwan as a province of the People’s Republic of China since Taiwan’s split from the mainland in 1949 amid civil war.

Despite having close trade ties, Japan and China have had chilly relations stemming from previous Japanese imperialism, including in the early half 20th century. In 2012, anti-Japanese sentiment flared in China over a territorial dispute that led to a monthslong boycott of Toyotas and Hondas, resulting in sales of Japanese cars plummeting in China.

In response to China’s recent saber-rattling, the U.S. and Japan deployed warplanes over the Sea of Japan in a show of force of their own. Japanese F-15 and F-2 jets joined with American F-22 and F-25 stealth fighters in the exercise. (These are the largest air forces in the world.)

With about 700 planes, Japan’s air force is much smaller than that of China, which has more than 2,300 aircraft in its air force arsenal. Japan’s air force fleet includes 200 Kawasaki T-4 trainer jets and 155 Boeing F-15 Eagle fighters. The oldest plane in Japan’s air force is the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II, which had its first flight in 1958. Its newest addition is the Kawasaki C-2 transport plane that first took to the sky in 2010.

To find every airplane in Japan’s air force, 24/7 Wall St. used data from the World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft as of May 2021 about the different types of aircraft in service in the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. Aircraft are ordered by total planes in service. Information on first flights also comes from the WDMMA. Helicopters were excluded from this list, as were planes that are on order, according to the WDMMA, but not yet delivered. (See also, every airplane in the Chinese military.)

Here is every airplane in Japan’s air force.

C-130R of the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force landing at Naval Air Facility Atsugi (CC BY-SA 4.0) by Josephus37

17. Lockheed KC-130 Hercules
> Total planes: 2
> First flown: 1962
> Category: Aerial Tankers / Refuelers
> Role: Aerial Refueling

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Gulfstream IV-SP (N808T) (8714402602) (CC BY-SA 2.0) by FlickreviewR

16. Gulfstream IV
> Total planes: 5
> First flown: 1985
> Category: Transports
> Role: VIP/Utility

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JA8701 NAMC YS-11 Japan Coast Guard (CC BY-SA 3.0) by YiFeiBot

15. NAMC YS-11
> Total planes: 6
> First flown: 1962
> Category: Trainers, Special-Mission
> Role: EW Trainer

20181208 Kawasaki C-2 landing Naha Air Show 2018-2 (CC0 1.0) by Balon Greyjoy

14. Kawasaki C-2
> Total planes: 8 (Tied)
> First flown: 2010
> Category: Transports
> Role: Tactical

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JASDF KC-767 (CC BY-SA 4.0) by FOX 52

13. Boeing 767
> Total planes: 8 (Tied)
> First flown: 1981
> Category: Aerial Tankers / Refuelers, Special-Mission
> Role: Aerial Refueling, Airborne Early Warning

Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II (CC BY-SA 4.0) by :u0410u043du0434u0440u0435u043912.06.1992

12. Lockheed F-35 Lightning II
> Total planes: 12
> First flown: *
> Category: Fighters
> Role: Multirole

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Lockheed C.130H of the Japanese Air Self Defence Force at Nagoya Komaki-NKM, Japan, 75-1078 (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Helmy oved

11. Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules
> Total planes: 13 (Tied)
> First flown: *
> Category: Transports
> Role: Tactical

T-1A Jayhawk (CC0 1.0) by Magog the Ogre

10. Raytheon T-1 Jayhawk
> Total planes: 13 (Tied)
> First flown: 1991
> Category: Trainers
> Role: Flight Trainer

20181208 E-2 Hawkeye parked Naha Air Show 2018-2 (CC0 1.0) by Balon Greyjoy

9. Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye
> Total planes: 14
> First flown: 1960
> Category: Special-Mission
> Role: Airborne Early Warning

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Source: Balon Greyjoy / Wikimedia Commons

8. Kawasaki C-1
> Total planes: 17
> First flown: 1970
> Category: Transports, Special-Mission
> Role: Tactical, Electronic Warfare

Raytheon Hawker-800XP (CC BY-SA 3.0) by Dmottl

7. Hawker 800
> Total planes: 27
> First flown: 1983
> Category: Special-Mission
> Role: Search and Rescue

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F-15C 67th Fighter Squadron 2008 (CC0 1.0) by Cobatfor

6. Boeing F-15 Eagle
> Total planes: 45
> First flown: 1972
> Category: Trainers
> Role: Fighter Trainer

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T-3 (13747031394) (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Russavia

5. Fuji T-3
> Total planes: 49
> First flown: 1978
> Category: Trainers
> Role: Basic Trainer

McDonnell Douglas (Mitsubishi) F-4EJ Kai Phantom II, Japan - Air Force AN2289664 (CC BY-SA 3.0) by Fu00e6

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Mitsubishi F-2 at Guam (Cropped) (CC BY-SA 3.0) by Hohum

3. Mitsubishi F-2
> Total planes: 88
> First flown: 1995
> Category: Fighters, Trainers
> Role: Multirole, Flight Trainer

F-15 take off (CC0 1.0) by Ndunruh

2. Boeing F-15 Eagle
> Total planes: 155
> First flown: 1972
> Category: Fighters
> Role: Air Superiority

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Source: viper-zero / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

1. Kawasaki T-4
> Total planes: 200
> First flown: 1995
> Category: Trainers
> Role: Advanced Jet Trainer