EU Pursues Defense Industry Partnerships with Japan and South Korea for Strategic Collaboration

24 Jun, 2024

EU Pursues Defense Industry Partnerships with Japan and South Korea for Strategic Collaboration

The European Union is aiming to establish defense industry partnerships with Japan and South Korea, focusing on the joint development of military equipment. This initiative, reported by Nikkei on June 23, represents the EU’s first collaboration of this kind with Asian nations, according to a senior EU commission official. The EU is hopeful to secure a ministerial-level agreement with Japan by the end of the year, which would enable joint projects between Japanese and European companies to receive EU funding.

This partnership comes as Japan faces what it considers its most severe and complex security environment since World War II, prompting significant enhancements to its defense industry. Japan’s military expansion, the largest in its post-war history, is driven by concerns over regional threats from China and North Korea.

Comments from Japan’s foreign ministry and the South Korean and EU delegations in Tokyo were not available at the time of the report. This collaboration marks a significant step in Japan’s evolving defense policy, moving beyond its traditional stance of renouncing war. By partnering with the EU, Japan and South Korea aim to strengthen regional security through cooperative technological advancements in defense.