On November 6, 2025, MDAA hosted the 2025 Japan Missile Defender of the Year awards ceremony at the U.S. Air Base Yokota in Tokyo Prefecture, Japan. The 2025 Japan MDOY marks MDAA’s 85th Missile Defender of the Year, our 3rd Japan Missile Defender of the Year, and our 11th MDOY event hosted in Japan. We were honored to recognize 18 awardees from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Space Force for their leadership and excellence in the missile defense of Japan.

Japan is America’s strongest ally in missile defense in the Pacific. It leads in commitment, interoperability, capability, capacity, and real burden sharing. The partnership began in 1984 when President Reagan approved a bilateral study on ballistic missile defense, and it has grown ever since. In today’s tumultuous international security landscape, including a militarily ascendant China and a defiantly belligerent North Korea in the Indo-Pacific, Japan-U.S. missile defense collaboration is more important than ever.

The Missile Defender of the Year Award ceremony began in January 2011 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the first operational Patriot missile intercept on January 18, 1991. Since then, MDAA has honored and awarded 1,055 Awardees from 25 different nations at 85 total Defender of the Year Award ceremonies. This prestigious recognition has celebrated awardees from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Spain, South Korea, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States. Events have been hosted by nine countries: Germany, Japan, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Qatar, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States. 

We are honored to present the 2025 Japan Missile Defenders of the Year: 

Winners Associate with Winners to Win!