Japan, EU Hold 1st Defense Industry Dialogue

Brussels, April 18 (Jiji Press)–Japan and the European Union have held the first dialogue designed to reinforce their cooperation for the defense industry. Amid an increasingly severe global security environment, Japan and the EU aim to work closely together to strengthen supply chains of defense equipment and reduce dependence on the United States. The dialogue, held at the EU headquarters in Brussels on Friday, was attended by more than 30 Japanese companies and organizations such as Subaru Corp., Hitachi Ltd. and NEC Corp., and 20 European firms including Thales of France, Leonardo SpA of Italy and Saab of Sweden. Some startups with dual-use technologies also took part in the dialogue as they sought business opportunities. Andrius Kubilius, a European Commission commissioner for defense and space, said that Japan is “a true like-minded partner” for the EU, emphasizing the importance of cooperation in the fields of defense and economic security. Japanese state minister of economy, trade and industry Toshiro Ino said that he really hopes that the dialogue will become a “platform” of partnership between Japan and the EU, particularly between their private sectors, leading to the launch of cooperation projects. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]