Eurasia Press & News
Japan and Turkey are considering joint development of tank engines as they aim to strengthen bilateral cooperation in defense-related technology, Kyodo News Agency reported Tuesday, citing a Japanese government source.
The two countries will sign a bilateral agreement to put restrictions on the transfer of such technology to a third country before Tokyo and Ankara go ahead with the plan, the source was quoted as saying. It will be the latest example of Japan’s push for jointly developing defense equipment to nurture the domestic defense industry and reduce development costs, as Tokyo considers further easing its self-imposed arms embargo.
At a press conference Tuesday, Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said Turkey has proposed a range of possible areas for bilateral technological cooperation. Onodera also suggested that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hopes to link Japan and Turkey as important partners.
Japan has long prohibited the export of weapons to communist states, countries subject to arms embargoes under UN resolutions, and countries involved in international conflicts. In 2011, then Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda eased the rules on arms shipments to allow arms to be jointly developed and produced with other countries, on condition that they obtain approval in advance when exporting the technology to a third party. To better cope with the changing security environment in Asia, Abe is considering a series of steps to redefine Japan’s defense posture, with a review of the arms embargo one of them.
