EU and Japan hold first-ever defence dialogue focusing on supply chains

The EU and Japan launched their first Defence Industry Dialogue on Friday to deepen cooperation in defence with an eye on strengthening their respective supply chains.

“The vulnerability of global supply chains due to political factors has become much more conspicuous,” Toshiro Ino, Japan’s minister of economy, trade and industry, said. He underlined how the rapid expansion in the use of drones and the emergence of new forms of warfare had highlighted the need for closer cooperation on defence technologies.

Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi also stressed in a video message that European and Indo-Pacific security were becoming “more and more indivisible” and said cooperation with EU partners would be essential “to make supply chains more resilient”.

A letter of intent between the two sides was signed but it is unclear what it includes as details have not been publicly disclosed.

Andrius Kubilius, the European Commissioner for defence, meanwhile said: “Citeşte mai mult