Japan is brewing new actions - mentioning defense between China, North Korea, and Russia | Basic Principles | China, North Korea, and Russia
According to a report by Yomiuri Shimbun on June 18th, the Japanese Defense Minister has formulated basic policies based on the Defense Industry's Production Foundation Strengthening Law, proposing to prioritize sustained combat capability and confidentiality capabilities when purchasing new weapons and equipment such as ammunition and ships, and deploy domestically produced weapons.
According to reports, Yomiuri Shimbun recently learned about the content of the above-mentioned draft policy, which requires "learning from the lessons of the Russia Ukraine conflict" and mentions "active military activities in China, North Korea, and Russia.". The draft further claims that Japan's security environment is facing a new crisis, and that the importance of the defense industry is increasing in order for the Self Defense Forces to carry out their tasks.
According to reports, Japanese companies have withdrawn from the defense industry citing low yields and other reasons. The draft believes that the foundation of Japan's defense industry is constantly being weakened.
According to reports, in the procurement of domestically produced equipment, the draft points out that in addition to "sustained combat capabilities," communication and password technology should not be relied on from a confidentiality perspective. The draft also proposes to avoid "supply chain risks" caused by components made in China, and lists "objects that may be threatened by external economic means.".
The draft emphasizes that if it is difficult to purchase domestically produced equipment, consideration should be given to promoting international joint research and development. Given that Japan cannot build a supply network solely on its own, it is essential to establish complementary relationships with allies and like-minded countries. The draft also raises the issue of unifying equipment specifications with allies and like-minded countries.
According to reports, Japan's defense industry's "Production Foundation Strengthening Act" was passed and established on June 7 this year at the plenary session of the Senate, which stipulates the obligation to formulate basic policies to strengthen equipment research and development and production foundations. The new policy will replace the "Defense Production and Technology Foundation Strategy" formulated in 2014, and the relevant content will be announced in the near future.
The main content of the Production Foundation Strengthening Law is to support the domestic defense industry, with the government bearing the cost of improving manufacturing process efficiency and strengthening the supply chain. According to this law, when it becomes difficult to produce essential equipment for Self Defense Force missions, the Japanese government can purchase factories and entrust enterprises to manage them. Some opposition parties accuse that this may lead to the revival of pre war military factories.
