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| Japanese Soryu class Submarine (File Photo) |
By Clint Richards
Plus Japan seeks further trilateral integration with the U.S. Thursday Japanese defense links.
There has been quite a bit of defense related news coming out of Japan over the last week, but the biggest stories have to do with Tokyo’s security relationship with Australia. That relationship may be growing, but the much anticipated submarine deal between the two countries received a blow this week. While Australia has been negotiating the purchase of military technology with Japan since this summer, news this September that Canberra may buy as many as 12 Japanese Soryu-class submarines off-the-shelf in order to replace its six Collins-class submarines created excitement for the Japanese and U.S. militaries as they seek greater trilateral integration (through the use of common vessels and communications equipment), as well as for Japanese naval defense contractors Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries.
However, Reuters reported last Friday that Australian labor unions and politicians are pressuring the government of Prime Minister Tony Abbott to open the deal to an international tender, as other countries’ submarine manufacturers have said they would be willing to undergo production in Australia, potentially saving thousands of naval industry jobs. The government is set to spend $34.3 billion on its new submarine program, and sending the production of these vessels abroad roughly 18 months before federal elections could prove politically disastrous for Abbott.
Read the full story at The Diplomat