Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi has told the BBC that Japan must “strengthen its defence capabilities,” emphasizing the importance of revisiting the country’s pacifist posture, which has defined it since World War Two.
He claimed strengthening defenses, “reinforcing its alliance with the United States, and expanding collaboration with like-minded countries” was a component of “building multi-layered deterrence critical for ensuring that no new war breaks out in this region. He discussed recent changes to Japan’s defense strategy, such as the relaxation of decades-old arms export prohibitions.
Tokyo has signed formal agreements with 17 nations, including the US and UK, to sell or transfer defense equipment and lethal weapons for the first time in about 50 years.Australia has chosen Japanese warships. The Philippines is in talks about purchasing secondhand destroyers from Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Forces. “We are in deep talks with Indonesia, and New Zealand has shown interest in acquiring Japanese destroyers,” Koizumi stated during an interview at his office in Tokyo.This idea of trading equipment and assets across the Indo-Pacific region is unprecedented.
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