After months of delay, the first Japanese F-35Bs are on the way to their new home and were spotted during a stop in Hawaii.
The first F-35B Lightning II STOVL (Short Take Off Vertical Landing) fighters for the Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) are now en route to Japan, where they will be delivered on Aug. 7, 2025. The Japanese Ministry of Defense announced few days that four F-35Bs will arrive at Nyutabaru Airbase, and the aircraft were now spotted arriving at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam (JBPHH), Hawaii, on Aug. 1.
While four F-35Bs were expected, only three are currently flying to Japan. The shots you can see in this article were taken by photographer @aeros808, who told us that the fourth jet is still in the U.S. The aircraft arrived in Hawaii flown by U.S. pilots and using the callsign AGILE, accompanied by two KC-46A Pegasus tankers with the callsign BORA.
Japan previously announced in January 2025 that the arrival of the first F-35Bs, which was planned to happen sometime during FY (Fiscal Year) 2024 (which ends on Mar. 31, 2025), has been postponed to sometime during FY2025. The aircraft will be assigned to a temporary F-35B unit which has been established to help with the introduction of the new aircraft.
On May 12, 2025, the first of 42 Japanese F-35B flew for the first time from Lockheed Martin Facility at NAS Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas.
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Japan’s F-35B acquisition
While initially it only acquired F-35As, Japan decided in 2018 to procure 42 F-35Bs in order to strengthen its capabilities and operate from its two aircraft carriers, small airstrips and remote islands. These 42 aircraft are part of the larger total of 147 F-35s that Japan plans to operate.
The plan was formally approved in Japan’s 2019–2023 Mid-Term Defense Program, which mentioned that 18 of the then-planned 47 F-35s would have been STOVL (Short Take-Off Vertical Landing) variants. The program of record for the F-35B was later increased to 42 aircraft.
The procurement was approved by the United States in 2020, and included both 63 F-35As and the 42 F-35Bs, for a total of 105 aircraft. According to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency’s notification to Congress, the sale was reported worth about $23.11 billion.
With 147 aircraft in service, Japan would become the second-largest operator of the F-35 after the United States. Japan also hosts in Nagoya one of three final assembly and check-out (FACO) facilities for the F-35 Lightning II program.
However, Japan’s F-35Bs will be produced in the U.S. at Lockheed Martin’s production facility in Fort Worth, Texas. The FACO facility continues to perform the final assembly and check-out of F-35A aircraft to be delivered to the JASDF, as well as Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul and Upgrade (MRO&U) activities for the North Asia region.
The F-35B in Japanese service
Plans are in place to operate the STOVL fighter jets from the JMSDF’s two Izumo-class DDHs (Helicopter-carrying Destroyers), the JS Izumo and JS Kaga, which are currently undergoing conversion to allow F-35B operations. To better prepare for the arrival of the new aircraft, Japan is studying F-35s operations from other navies who already operate the type, such as the Italian Navy and Royal Navy.
The F-35B has undergone tests with Japanese vessels twice, with the Izumo conducting flight ops in 2021, while the Kaga just recently had a F-35B land on its deck. Both of these tests were conducted with non-Japanese jets and pilots. The Izumo is set to start F-35B operations in 2027, while the Kaga will induct it into service a year later in 2028.
Interestingly, although the aircraft are planned to operate from these JMSDF vessels, the F-35B itself will be operated by the JASDF. The service plans to operate up to 105 F-35A CTOL (Conventional Take Off and Landing) and 42 F-35B V/STOVL fighter jets alongside their previous inventory of F-15J/DJs and F-2A/Bs.
Japan plans to station the first batch of F-35Bs at Nyutabaru Air Base, which is located in the southern part of the island of Kyushu, due to the its close proximity to the home port of the JS Kaga in JMSDF (Japan Maritime Self Defense Force) Kure, in Hiroshima prefecture. A temporary squadron has been established in preparation for the induction of the F-35B at Nyutabaru.
“Eight aircraft are scheduled to be delivered during fiscal year 2025, and the delivery date for the remaining four aircraft is still being adjusted,” recently confirmed the MoD. Additionally, U.S. pilots will conduct demonstration flights at Nyutabaru in September in an attempt to mitigate concerns of local residents over noise caused by vertical landings.
A big thank you to @aeros808 for the photos he shared with us and the details. Make sure to check out his page on Instagram for more!
