U.S. to have F-35 fighters at Misawa base in Japan for 1st time

The U.S. Defense Department said Wednesday it will deploy 48 F-35A stealth fighters to Misawa Air Base in Japan's northeastern prefecture of Aomori for the first time, in an effort to bolster regional deterrence with its key ally.The F-35As, known as fifth-generation fighters capable of evading radar detection, will replace 36 F-16 aircraft, it said, adding that the U.S. military will upgrade its capability at Kadena Air Base in Japan's southern prefecture of Okinawa by deploying 36 new F-15 fighters to replace 48 retiring F-15s.Amid security challenges posed by China, North Korea and Russi…READ FULL ARTICLE