Japan¡¯s potential participation in advanced military capability projects with the United States, Britain and Australia under their AUKUS security pact could not only enhance Japanese capabilities, but also provide a new set of opportunities to boost the country¡¯s defense industry.
Although nothing has been formally decided, last week¡¯s announcement that the three partners are weighing inviting Tokyo to join the pact¡¯s second program, known as Pillar II, reflects how the group sees potential benefits in tapping Japan¡¯s strong industrial and technological capacity at a time when Tokyo has identified boosting defense production as a key national security pillar.
The announcement did not propose Japan¡¯s participation in the pact¡¯s first pillar, which involves delivering nuclear-powered attack submarines to Australia. Instead, Tokyo¡¯s contribution would center around developing and sharing advanced capabilities in areas such as hypersonics, anti-submarine warfare and cyberweapons, as well as quantum computing and artificial intelligence.
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