FROM a nation renowned for its competitive technologies, Japan is embarking on a familiar path, as deepening security ties with the united states leads it back to principles abandoned since the end of the second world war.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel said Japan could take a greater role in developing, producing, and supplying weapons to enhance our collective security in light of geopolitical conflicts such as the Russia–Ukraine war and the ongoing fighting between Israel and Hamas.
The U.S. envoy also emphasized the importance of stronger defense industry cooperation between the Americans and the Japanese.
His statement came after Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s recent trip to Washington where he affirmed Japan’s allegiance to Washington in front of U.S. President Joe Biden and high-ranking American officials.
After the summit, Ambassador Emanuel said both countries will now look at what Japan can co-license, co-produce, and co-develop.
Due to its wartime history as an aggressor, Japan has banned all its arms exports since 1976 which started to wear away in 2011.
In 2022, Kishida adopted a strategy to accelerate its military buildup and increase its defense budget as part of its national strategy plan.
Japan’s technological capabilities also made it a potential partner for the trilateral security agreement forged by Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States known as AUKUS.
The initiative aims to develop and sell eight nuclear-powered submarines to Australia with the help of American and British technologies.
