DefenceTalkEconomic cooperation and the disputed South China Sea will be on the agenda when Southeast Asian foreign ministers meet their Chinese, Japanese and South Korean counterparts for ASEAN-plus-three talks on Thursday. China will be represented at the talks by top diplomat Wang Yi instead of Foreign Minister Qin Gang after Qin pulled out for “health […]https://www.defencetalk.com/asean-plus-three-to-meet-on-south-china-sea-economic-ties-80055/

DefenceTalkJapan will begin offering aid to the militaries of “like-minded countries” under new rules announced Wednesday, as Tokyo builds a more proactive defence strategy to address growing regional threats. The new framework will be separate from other types of aid offered by Japan, and will specifically target “enhancing the security and deterrence capabilities of like-minded […]https://www.defencetalk.com/japan-changes-rules-to-allow-aid-to-foreign-militaries-80010/

DefenceTalkThe United States, Japan, India and Australia expressed concern Friday over the militarization of Asia’s waters, in a veiled reference to China’s growing presence in contested seas. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the foreign ministers of the other three nations assembled in New Delhi under the auspices of their Quad grouping. In a […]https://www.defencetalk.com/quad-powers-concerned-over-militarisation-in-asian-seas-79921/

DefenceTalkJapanese and Chinese officials will hold senior-level security discussions next week for the first time since February 2019, Tokyo’s top diplomat said Saturday. Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi held a meeting for nearly an hour Saturday on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany, his office said […]https://www.defencetalk.com/japan-china-agree-to-hold-senior-level-defence-talks-79867/

DefenceTalkJapan and India began their first joint fighter jet exercise on Monday near Tokyo as the countries upgrade defence and security ties with an eye on China’s growing military might. The 11-day joint exercise will involve eight Japanese fighter jets, with India sending four fighters, two transport aircraft and an aerial refueling tanker, Japan’s defence […]https://www.defencetalk.com/japan-india-start-first-joint-fighter-jet-drill-79718/

DefenceTalkNorth Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile Friday in one of its most powerful tests ever, with Japan saying the weapon may have had the range to hit the United States mainland. The missile was believed to have landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said as he blasted the launch […]https://www.defencetalk.com/north-korea-fires-icbm-lands-near-japan-79616/

DefenceTalkJapan is looking into buying US-developed Tomahawk cruise missiles as it seeks to counter growing regional threats, including from North Korea, the government said Friday. The purchase would likely be controversial in a nation whose military is not officially recognized under its post-World War II constitution. The Yomiuri Shimbun daily reported that Tokyo was in […]https://www.defencetalk.com/japan-studying-us-tomahawk-cruise-missile-purchase-79552/

DefenceTalkLife may seem tranquil on Japan’s remote Yonaguni island, where wild horses graze and tourists dive to spot hammerhead sharks, but China’s recent huge military exercises have rattled residents. The western island is just 110 kilometres (70 miles) from Taiwan, and a Chinese missile fired during the drills last month landed not far from Yonaguni’s […]https://www.defencetalk.com/chinese-moves-on-taiwan-rattle-remote-japanese-island-79409/

DefenceTalkThe departure of a shipment of reprocessed nuclear fuel from France to Japan has been delayed due to the breakdown of loading equipment, a French nuclear technology company announced Wednesday. The setback came as environmental campaigners denounced the practice of transporting such highly radioactive materials. The shipment arrived on two separate lorries under heavy security […]https://www.defencetalk.com/france-to-send-latest-nuclear-shipment-to-japan-79352/

DefenceTalkJapan’s prime minister on Wednesday called for a push to revive the country’s nuclear power industry in a bid to tackle soaring imported energy costs linked to the war in Ukraine. Such a move could prove controversial, after the 2011 Fukushima disaster led to the suspension of many nuclear reactors over safety fears. Like many […]https://www.defencetalk.com/japan-eyes-nuclear-power-push-to-combat-energy-crunch-79242/