Japanese arms export ban lifted - what now?
- Thread starter swerve
- Start date
they are already doing this, co production with the US for a while. for example the Boeing 777, some parts are made in Japan and other selected countries. I think they will start exporting small arms and other logistics. lets watch and see.
I just don't see Japan becoming a major arms exporter anytime soon except in a few niche fields.
Shinmeiwa's flying boats, Kawasaki's cargo planes, counter battery or shipborne AESA radars come to mind. But the MBTs are too specialized for domestic use and not competitive in the world market even with lower price. Things like active suspensions and HMT transmision on a tank will be very dificult to maintain without a well extablished afterservice network which they do not have. Japanese companies that manufacture small arms also, are not competitive because of the very limited domestic demand and experiences.
Exporting large items you mentioned like missiles, fighter planes and subs will also be very difficult unless the public perception of arms dealing change drastically within Japan, and that will take decades I think.
I agree with Swerve that they will start with exporting things like trucks for logistical use, or earthmoving equipment for engineers to avoid too much criticisms.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #44
The Boeing 777 is a civilian airliner. We're discussing the relaxation of the Japanese export ban on weapons & military equipment.
What you should be looking at is what Japanese industry is currently competitive in in international markets, but hasn't been able to sell to foreign armed forces. That's an obvious niche to start exporting into. That includes such things as vehicles, electronic components, & optics..
Nobody outside Japan has any experience of Japanese weapons, & Japanese firms have no experience of selling them to anyone except the JSDF. But everyone knows the quality of some classes of Japanese goods, such as those I mention above, & there are established channels for exporting them. They're therefore much easier to sell. Current operations can be extended to a new class of customers, instead of having to simultaneously try to establish new product classes in the market, and try to sell to an unfamiliar market.
I know for a fact that Japan co produced some of the US smart missiles. I cited the Boeing 777 just as an example, but they have been co producing with the US some weapon systems for a while. And of course this is items are classified. Anyway, just as I said lets wait and see. But I still think they will get into small arms and other logistics because there is money into it, they know and been watching that the defense a multi billion dollar industry and because of their set backs in the tsunami and weakening of economy they want to get a piece of the pie. so lets see, what they are going to sell soon.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #46
There has long been an exemption to the general arms export ban, for US-Japanese joint ventures. This is a matter of public record, not classified, though some of the specifics are not public. The Raytheon website, for example, openly states that the SM3 Block IIA is a US-Japanese co-development, & US DoD press releases state that this development builds on earlier joint projects. The delivery of Japanese AESA TRMs to the USA for testing in the 1990s has been public information (& officially, not rumoured) for at least a decade. But this is rather different from permitting Japanese manufacturers to export directly, & to a fairly long list of countries.
Note that co-production or co-development for Japanese use has never been restricted.
Note that co-production or co-development for Japanese use has never been restricted.
Yes, more than anyone else in Asia, Japan as a nation has huge experience successfully marketing their technological products all over the world.
A lot of people that make weapons in Japan are also names we are familiar with like Mitsubishi.
I wonder if they would face prejudice by western armed forces who I imagine, are still by and large reluctant to consider Asian-made weapons platforms.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #48
I think it's worth saying that while welcoming the new policy, Japanese manufacturers have been publicly grumbling that it lacks clarity, & they want the details fleshed out as quickly as possible so that they can start exporting.
I expect a flood of marketing as soon as the new rules have been made clear.
I expect a flood of marketing as soon as the new rules have been made clear.
I had a Grandfather who fought the Japanese (Badly, saw the eyes of the enemy if you know what I mean), I think what you will find is that most WW2 vets don't care about the Japanese as a race or nation unless they are obviously racists. Only the intellectually lacking would think that a race is bad based on actions from the past. Look what the English did in history, does not mean that Englishmen are the same now.The whaling issue is merely an argument among friends. Both nations are on the same side and too think that WW2 some how still influences our relationship is ludicrous. The Japanese will bring a lot to the table and so they should, the sons should not pay for the sins of the father.
Musashi_kenshin
Well-Known Member
One of my former neighbours was a chindit. By the time I met him (very, many years ago) he didn't have a problem with Japanese people. He even went to Japan a few times in his later life and was comfortable with what he saw there.
If a former chindit could bury the hatchet, I don't think there will be many people to argue against defence cooperation with Japan, let alone affect Japanese arms sales in any noticeable way (with respect to countries that are ever likely to work with Japan in this area).
If a former chindit could bury the hatchet, I don't think there will be many people to argue against defence cooperation with Japan, let alone affect Japanese arms sales in any noticeable way (with respect to countries that are ever likely to work with Japan in this area).