Page 9 - ADT MARCH 2023 Latest Magazine | GBP

ships with specialised trading firms, capable
of representing them as registered vendors to
Japan’s ministry of defence. Japan will also
develop other types of arsenals, such as hyper-
sonic weapons and unmanned and multi-role
vehicles for possible collaboration with the F-X
next-generation fighter jet that Japan is devel-
oping with Britain and Italy for deployment in
2035.

“We are bolstering our defence cooperation
in a number of promising areas, particularly
in advancing opportunities for joint research,
development, testing, and evaluation. Together,
we have begun important collaboration through
a series of discussions on autonomous systems
capabilities, which could complement Japan’s
next fighter program among other platforms. In and Japan teamed up, alongside Italy, to develop the next gen-
this context, both sides have concurred to start eration of combat air fighter jets under the new global combat air
concrete cooperation within the next year. Such programme (GCAP). On 9 December 2022 the prime ministers of
efforts between the United States and Japan the UK, Japan and Italy confirmed plans to together develop the
greatly strengthen the U.S.-Japan alliance and GCAP. This will bring together the Tempest programme, which Italy
build on our cooperation with likeminded part- is already collaborating on, with Japan’s FX-programme.
ners, further enabling joint responses to future
threats in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond,”
a U.S. department of defence official said. Ties with Australia
Japan is a key partner for Australia in the region and an important
Japan’s range of partners and frameworks regional power. The Australian defence force has a deep and grow-
for military cooperation has also grown to ing relationship with the JSDF across the air, ground, sea, space and
now encompass not just the US as its bilateral cyber domains. Both countries late last year signed a new bilateral
security treaty and alliance partner, but new security agreement covering military, intelligence and cybersecurity
partners in multinational coalitions, multilat- cooperation to counter the deteriorating security outlook driven by
eral institutions, and new ‘quasi-allies’ such as China’s increasing assertiveness. The agreement removes obstacles
Australia, UK and India. Japan has manoeu- to holding joint military exercises in either country.
vred itself, for instance, to be at the core of the
Quadrilateral security dialogue, or so-called Japan-India Strategic Partnership
Quad, involving itself, the United States, India, Japan and India continue to deepen defence and security ties amid
and Australia. Tokyo also has signed a defence growing concerns over China’s assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific
cooperation agreement with the UK. region. In January, the two countries held a joint air exercise, ‘Veer
Guardian-2023’ involving the Indian air force and Japan air self
UK-Japan Defence Treaty defence force (JASDF) at Hyakuri air base to promote air defence
In recent years, the UK and Japan have devel- cooperation between the countries.
oped an increasingly close defence and security During the second 2+2 foreign and defence ministerial meeting
relationship. The UK and Japan have signed held in Tokyo last year, India and Japan agreed to step up bilateral
“the most important defence treaty” between defence cooperation and engage in more military exercises involving
the two countries for over 100 years. The treaty the three services, and coast guards of both the countries.
will help accelerate defence and security coop-
eration and allow the UK and Japan to deploy India’s defence minister Rajnath Singh recently said that the grow-
forces in one another’s countries. It will also ing complexities in the bilateral defence exercises is a testimony to
cement the UK’s commitment to Indo-Pacific the deepening of defence cooperation between the two countries.
security, allowing both forces to plan and deliver
larger scale, more complex military exercises Besides the US, UK, Australia and India, Japan is also seeking new
and deployments. security partners to back it up both militarily and diplomatically.
That effort, for now, has focused on countries that are also strong
The UK will be the first European country to have US allies, including France, Italy, South Korea and Vietnam.
a reciprocal access agreement with Japan, the
most important defence treaty between the All told, Japan’s armed forces is soon set to become much more
UK and Japan since 1902. The treaty, signed in formidable, and improved defence capabilities will translate into a
January 2023, came in just weeks after the UK more confident and secure Japan.
ASIAN DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY MARCH 2023 | 9