The U.S. military is considering gradually retiring F-15 fighter jets stationed at its Kadena Air Base in Okinawa Prefecture and replacing them with enhanced fighters over about two years, according to Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada.
F-22s are scheduled to be provisionally deployed to Kadena from the beginning of this month, in place of the retiring F-15s. The United States is believed to be aiming to counter China and Russia, both of which are heightening their air forces' activities in the Asian region.
Hamada welcomed the U.S. plan at a press conference Tuesday.
