 Arms industry pushes for arms embargo to be lifted The arms industry and government officials of Japan and the United States held the 15th Japan-U.S. Technology Forum in Tennessee last year to enhance opportunities for joint military business and technical cooperation, and called for the ban in Japan on arms exports to be lifted. Many proposed that restrictions on arms exports, including exports of equipment for the ballistic missile defense system, be reviewed comprehensively to strengthen security in Japan. Japan regained the international community's trust with its war-renouncing Constitution as well as its ban on arms exports after WWII. However, Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro and his cabinet last December removed Japan-U.S. cooperation in ballistic missile defense development and production from the category of arms exports. Concerning other issues, they decided to discuss them with the United States on a case-by-case basis. Military industrial complex calls for looser restriction on arms exports Removal of arms embargo will enable Japan's war industries to take part in joint military research and development from an earlier stage, which will lead to closer relationships with war industries of other nations, the Forum pointed out. It also proposed that the ban on arms exports be more relaxed so that war industries of both countries can tackle the common needs, design, and development of establishing a cruise missile defense system. If the control of arms exports is eased, it will most likely provide more exceptions to the restrictions in addition to the missile defense program, reported Akahata on February 3. Participants and companies in the 15th Japan-U.S. Technology Forum were: a representative of the Japan External Trade Organization, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.; Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd.; Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co., Ltd.; Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.; Toshiba Corporation; Hitachi, Ltd.; Fujitsu Research Institute for Advanced Information Systems and Economics; NEC Corporation; Mitsubishi Corporation; Japanese officials from the Defense Agency and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry; Raytheon Company; The Boeing Company; Northrop Grumman Corporation; Lockheed Martin Corporation; and U.S. officials from the Department of Defense. (end) |