Tag: Japan

It looks like Prime Minister Takaichi and President Lee have formed so far a strong relationship:

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is considering visiting Korea later this month for a summit with President Lee Jae Myung in his hometown of Andong, Japanese media outlets said Saturday, citing diplomatic sources.

Japan’s Kyodo News and other media outlets reported that Takaichi is expected to visit South Korea on May 19 for a two-day trip and hold talks with Lee in Andong, about 190 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on economic security cooperation, including energy and critical mineral supply chains amid the Middle East conflict.

Takaichi last visited South Korea in October, just nine days after she took office, and held talks with Lee on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in the southeastern city of Gyeongju.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

Here is an example of the Japanese defense industry expanding into export markets:

Australia will purchase 11 Japanese-built Mogami-class frigates, with the first delivery expected in 2029, officials from both countries announced, underscoring growing defense ties amid concerns about China’s military expansion. Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles and his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi unveiled the deal Saturday aboard the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force frigate JS Kumano in Melbourne. The contract, valued at up to $10 billion, calls for initial ships to be built in Japan by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, with later vessels potentially constructed in Australia by Austal, according to Australian government statements.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

The way President Lee hasn’t tried to enflame anti-Japanese sentiment has been mildly surprising to me. His liberal predecessor President Moon was notorious for stoking anti-Japanese sentiment and preventing trilateral military cooperation. It is good to see President Lee has not followed suit on this so far:

Top naval commanders of South Korea, the United States and Japan gathered in Seoul on Wednesday to hold a series of talks aimed at strengthening their trilateral maritime security cooperation, the South’s Navy said.

The gathering brought together Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Kim Kyung-ryul, U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander Adm. Stephen Koehler and Adm. Akira Saito, chief of staff of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, for bilateral talks and a trilateral dinner meeting, according to the armed service.

The meetings came amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, raising speculation over whether their talks would address the ongoing U.S. blockade of Iranian ports.

In the trilateral meeting, the three sides shared their perspectives on the regional maritime security environment in the Pacific and discussed ways to enhance cooperation. 

They also reportedly discussed ways to cooperate against North Korea’s efforts to strengthen its maritime prowess, as seen in the recent development of a 5,000-ton destroyer, Choe Hyon, and the test-firing of strategic cruise and anti-warship missiles from the naval destroyer.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It looks like South Korea could soon have a competitor in the competitive global arms industry:

“Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s ruling party approved the changes this week as she tries to invigorate the pacifist country’s military industrial base. Her government will formally adopt the new rules as soon as this month, three Japanese government officials told Reuters.

Despite largely isolating itself from global arms markets since World ‌War Two, Japan spends enough on its own military – $60 billion this year – to sustain a sizeable defence industry capable of manufacturing advanced systems like submarines and fighter jets.

Among the potential new customers are the Polish military and the Philippine navy, which are undergoing modernization amid regional security challenges, according to Reuters interviews with Japanese officials and foreign diplomats in Tokyo. Defence contractors Toshiba and Mitsubishi Electric (6503.T) are hiring staff and adding capacity to capitalise on demand, their executives said, providing previously unreported details.

One of the first deals Takaichi’s government will likely approve are exports of used frigates to the Philippines, which is locked in maritime confrontation with Beijing in the South China Sea, according to two of the Japanese officials. Reuters is the first to report the timeframe of the likely sale, which may be followed by missile defence systems, the officials said.

“Warsaw and Tokyo can help plug gaps in each other’s arsenals, cooperating in areas like anti-drone and electronic warfare systems, said Mariusz Boguszewski, deputy chief of mission at Poland’s embassy in Japan.”

Reuters

You can read more at the link.