According to reports from Japan’s Kyodo News Agency, Japan’s Minister of Defense, Gen Nakatani, will meet with Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar on August 19th local time. This will be the first visit of a Japanese defense minister to Turkey.
It is reported that the governments of Japan and Turkey have entered the coordination stage to promote inter-governmental dialogue and strengthen exchanges between the defense industries of the two countries. During his meeting with Akar, Nakatani will discuss defense equipment and technological cooperation, exchange views on regional affairs, and promote communication between the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and the Turkish military.
In addition to meeting with Akar, Nakatani also plans to visit Turkish Aerospace Industries, Turkish Naval Shipyard, and defense-related companies that produce drones, expressing interest in visiting actual production sites.
The report said that due to the provision of offensive drones to Ukraine, the development of Turkey’s defense industry has attracted much attention. Japan is planning to deploy a large number of drones to its ground, sea, and air self-defense forces and is considering introducing drones made in Turkey.
According to Japan’s Defense Ministry on the 15th, Nakatani will visit Djibouti, Turkey, and Jordan from the 17th to the 22nd. During this trip, he plans to meet with senior government officials from various countries and deepen defense exchanges.