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Diversifying Japan's Security: A Wider Partnership For Defence Capabilities
17:45, 12 May 2010Banqueting House, Royal Palace of Whitehall, & RUSI
About the event:
A RUSI conference was held at the British Embassy in Tokyo on 12 May in collaboration with the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies (JFSS), with the aim of assessing the Japanese defence posture and exploring how the Japanese Defence industrial base might be diversified to encourage cooperation with European partners.
The conference was generously sponsored by BAE Systems, Thales, Finmeccanica and Rolls-Royce.
The conference sought to explore whether or not transformation and reform were possible based upon the experiences of European partners. The current security environment in the Asia Pacific region was discussed, noting the military rise of China, the relative reduction of US forces in the region and potential non-military threats.
High Level Talks
With keynote addresses by HM Ambassador David Warren and JFSS Administration and Management department director Major General Yoshi Hayashi, the conference was attended by an influential audience of representatives from the Japanese defence sector, defence industrialists, academics, parliamentarians and the Tokyo diplomatic community.
Managing Alliance Dynamics
Professor Satoshi Moritomo began the day by pointing out the current tensions within the US-Japanese Alliance, but reaffirming the need for it. This theme was further developed by RUSI Research Associate John Hemmings, who maintained that contemporary contingencies require robust alliances more than ever, warning of the danger in reliance on the media for an appreciation of an Alliance's fundamental health. Robert Dujarric, Director of Contemporary Japanese Studies (ICJS) at Temple University argued that while the US-Japan Alliance seemed constrained by the Futenma Base issue, common interests would continue to bind the US and Japan together for the foreseeable future.
Alliance Capabilities: New Threats and New Challenges
The following session began with an interesting and original challenge from Kyouji Yanigasawa, who stated that alliance management was something that both Japan and the US had to improve. Mr Yanigasawa, a former president of the National Institute for Defense Studies also stated that both parties had to approach the alliance with clear ideas of what they expected from it.
Following his opening remarks, Frank Cevasco, a Washington based Pentagon adviser made a strong case for the diversification of Japan's defence partnerships with NATO or NATO-member states. This, Mr Cevasco argued, would be compatible with the strong pillar of the US-Japanese alliance.
Alexander Neill, Head of RUSI's Asia Security Programme closed the session by illustrating the likely similarities between the outcomes of the UK's Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) and those that are likely to be released in Japan's National Defense Program Guidelines (NDPG) at the end of 2010. Both nations, he stated, would find their industries under pressure and would benefit from joint projects and mixed capabilities.
Towards co-operative acquisition
This session was an opportunity for the conference participants to discuss the key findings of RUSI research on co-operative acquisition over the summer of 2009 and for the JFSS to respond by highlighting some of the key findings of their recent study into options for Japanese international defence collaboration.
RUSI Professorial Research Fellow in Defence Management, Professor Trevor Taylor, opened the session with a compelling analysis of how defence industry functions: his remarks examined the drivers for defence collaboration among European partners and gave a brief historical overview of notable collaboration successes. His remarks were followed by Dr Heigo Sato who noted the unique characteristics of the Japanese security environment.
Gregg Rubinstein, a former US defence official followed with a nuanced and balanced critique of the legal and bureaucratic restrictions on defence co-operation in Japan. His study, based on a long career in the defence sector in Japan, highlighted the pitfalls and opportunities arising from diversification. His speech also offered direction in terms of dealing with the three principles arms export policy, restrictive procurement practices and security of information concerns. Mr Rubinstein finished with some tips on the road ahead, including both reform both of intelligence and acquisition and export regulations.
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