On Friday (31 October), NATO held its first staff-to-staff dialogue on defence industrial cooperation and capabilities with Japan at NATO Headquarters.
"Developing the Alliance's defence industry to fulfil the new defence capability targets, in cooperation with our close partners, is our main priority. The current security environment supports our aim to increase our practical coordination and further strengthen our defence industrial cooperation with Japan," said NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defence Industry, Innovation and Armaments, Tarja Jaakkola.
The dialogue, opened by Ms Jaakkola, focused on current defence industrial priorities, including Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS), counter-UAS, science and technology, innovation, standardization and supply chain security. The discussions also supported Japan's potential future engagement in NATO's multinational projects, in the areas of land, air, maritime and space capabilities.
The dialogue follows the statement by the NATO Secretary General and the four Indo-Pacific partners, Australia, Japan, the Republic of Korea and New Zealand, during the NATO Summit in The Hague. It sets out how NATO and its Indo-Pacific partners will continue to learn from one another on key topics, including on the security of supply chains, capability development, production and procurement processes.
Photo caption: Ms Tarja Jaakkola, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defence Industry, Innovation and Armaments Division opening the first Dialogue together with Mr. Takizawa Go, Deputy Commissioner of the Japanese Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency (ATLA) under the Ministry of Defense of Japan, Mr. Hatada Hiroyuki, Deputy Director-General, Manufacturing Industries Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) of Japan, and H.E. Mr. Izawa Osamu, Ambassador of Japan to NATO.
