Kishida, Prime Minister of Japan
Meloni receives Kishida and strengthens the relationship with Japan
At breakfast with the Japanese premier. Tuesday 10 January important appointment in Giorgia Meloni’s agenda, who receives Fumio Kishida at Palazzo Chigi during his pre-G7 tour which also takes him to France, the United Kingdom and the United States. The face-to-face comes at a crucial moment for the foreign policy posture of Tokyo, increasingly aligned with the West, but also of Italy itself. From the outset, the Meloni government has concentrated on sending reassuring messages to Washington regarding its geopolitical position and its Atlanticist line. Both towards Russia and towards those of China.
Establish in-depth relationships with Japan, the White House’s main ally in Asia-Pacific, can only strengthen American confidence in its Italian partner and in the centre-right government. It is probable that the Italian government will also emphasize the commercial aspects of the collaboration with Tokyo, but the essential component remains the strategic one. Furthermore, it should not be forgotten that just a few weeks ago a trilateral agreement was announced between Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom for the production of new generation military jets.
Joining a major defense development project with a partner other than the United States represents a break with tradition for the Japan, which is beefing up its military budget and updating its national security strategy after being spooked by Russia’s attack on Ukraine. The addition of Japan to the Italian-British alliance that is working on the Tempest fighter would bring an international dimension to what has so far been an all-European project and therefore significantly enter the radar of Beijing, which observes Japanese movements with growing annoyance .
The main contractors are Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for Japan, BAE Systems Plc for the UK and Leonardo SpA for Italy. Sweden’s Saab AB, which currently produces the Gripen fighter, is considered another potential recruit. According to previous reports, the UK has pledged to invest more than £2 billion over the next three years, while Italy has pledged to invest £2 billion over several years.
Tokyo just approved a new record-breaking defense budget, which in addition to exponentially increasing expenditure also changes the concept of defense strategy overcoming the old taboo of the pacifist constitution imposed by the United States after World War II. And so Japan, which is increasingly vocal in its criticism of Russia but also of the Chinese movements on the Taiwan Strait and in general on the Pacific, is increasingly projected as a cornerstone of American strategy on the Pacific.
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