By Ankit Panda
Japanese and ASEAN officials met to discuss potential Japanese defense exports.
Defense officials from Japan and ASEAN states met in Okinawa on Tuesday. The two primary issues on their agenda were the use of Japanese defense equipment in disaster relief around the region and anti-terrorism. The talks between Japan and ASEAN tie into a broader trend in Tokyo’s foreign policy, initiated recently under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, which liberalizes arms exports, long banned under Japanese law.
According to Global Post, Japanese and ASEAN officials agreed to expand cooperation in these areas, including in joint development of equipment that could be useful in combating natural disasters and terrorism.
According to Japan Daily Press, the meeting was chaired by Japan’s Administrative Vice Minister of Defense Masanori Nishi. Further, Prime Minister Abe noted overlap between ASEAN and Japanese interests: “We hope to deepen and enhance cooperation, as ASEAN countries are Japan’s partners that share basic values and strategic interests.”
The talks between Japan and ASEAN come against the backdrop of a domestic movement in Japan by Shinzo Abe and the LDP to revise Japan’s self-imposed ban on defense exports.
Read the full story at The Diplomat