# Kyushu

Japan’s F-35Bs in Kyushu Raise the Stakes in a Quiet Air-Sea Contest with China

Japan has forward-deployed F-35B stealth jets to a base on Kyushu and declared a high training tempo, partly to offset surveillance risks at a planned island facility. The move tightens Japan’s ability to contest Chinese carrier movements but highlights a larger systems race: China’s expanding carrier fleet, land-based stealth fighters and tanker support will increasingly shape operational outcomes in the East and South China Seas.