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Japan's defense export hopes dimmed by latecomer status

19 Comments
By MARI YAMAGUCHI and ELAINE KURTENBACH

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19 Comments
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This reminds me of people who are writing a business plan to enter large markets, and say something along the lines of 'if I can just get 1% of the market', without realizing how difficult it is to get 1% of the market, when the current players have already refined their game.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Nothing wrong with this. They just have to understand that its not just an uphill battle, it will be an up-sheer-cliff battle due to the US standard. This is not pomp but simple fact and reality that the bar is set by the US in terms of milspec tech. Japan will have to spend an enormous amount of capital to establish itself on the scene and needs to be aware of the reality of the ultimate cost-benefit factor, will it really be worth it in the end?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Rome wasn't built in a day.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

"Rome wasn't built in a day."

No, but if you buy from us, we can help you destroy it in one!

“Japan can make anything, in principle, except for nuclear weapons (as of right now...) ”

3 ( +6 / -3 )

Sob!

Just think of how many more people could have been injured, maimed and killed had Japan entered the global arms market earlier.

Oh, they didn't.

Great news. :-)

The spin on this article is troubling. 

3 ( +6 / -3 )

Wonderful! Let's rely on an industry that invents, exacerbates and feeds off, fear and hatred.

Is Abenomics' latest arrow to be missile-shaped?

3 ( +5 / -2 )

What is important is to closely align export policies with allies, and to maintain tight controls on dual use as well as ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) restricted items to prevent fiascos like the export of 5-axis numerically controlled machines falsely labeled as 2-axis.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

noooo! this is ugly. it really is. usa is hated for focusing on army. japan had a good image untill today. people are gonna be like japan another israel all over the world :(

1 ( +3 / -2 )

International Traffic in Arms Regulations

Morally bankrupt window-dressing.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

How tragic.... If only they could have been more successful....The loss of human suffering is really disappointing...Better luck next year...or not...

0 ( +1 / -1 )

“Japan is not up to speed with global trends,” said Toru Hotchi, director of the Defense Ministry’s Equipment Policy Division and Japan’s go-to person for procurement.

Shouldn't surprise anyone. As cold as it may sound, the U.S. has a huge leg up in this area, since, unfortunately, it has had so much practice in using these weapons in the last decade or so. Nothing better than real-world experience/input to imrove military hardware.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

This reminds me of people who are writing a business plan to enter large markets, and say something along the lines of 'if I can just get 1% of the market', without realizing how difficult it is to get 1% of the market, when the current players have already refined their game.

When the current players are resting on their monopoly laurels, it's not that difficult, as Japan's auto industry showed.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

“Japanese companies are not really prepared to compete,”

Truer words were never spoken. Japanese companies abhor competition. They go to great lengths to keep foreign competitors out of their domestic markets, and, once they close the doors, they collude together to fix prices and "earn" profits from a captive market. If they cannot even compete against each other, they certainly are at a disadvantage when they have to fight for market share outside Japan.

Japan's defence industry is likely to do no better than their electronics or other industries, unless they internationalise it like the automakers, which means a great deal of foreign employees and executives will need to be involved in the process. I don't see this happening.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

Japan's defence industry is likely to do no better than their electronics or other industries, unless they internationalise it like the automakers, which means a great deal of foreign employees and executives will need to be involved in the process. I don't see this happening.

You mean become the world-leader and de facto industry standard for several decades?

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

Excellent opportunities exist for Japanese companies to start manufacturing high tech cutting edge technology equipments in India at low costs with zero defects.India is going to spend huge capex on modernisation of its defence forces in coming years.More intimate cooperation is the need of the hour which is going to benefit both countries immensely in coming years.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Give them a year or two. A year is far too early to draw any kind of conclusion, defense contracts aren't made overnight except during war. Submarines are as expected their best bet, as it's the most economically and technologically feasible way for southern asian nations to counter Chinese territorial harassment. The small arms market is already heavily crowded by South Korean and Singaporean companies. Drone / robotics remain a viable market, although Samsung of S.Korea has some developments for their northern border, Honda is Japan's most robotics focused company, but I don't think they have any defense focus.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Like I say in other post, war is a good business with some people/manufacture profit. It's good NO but money talk and you know the rest.....

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Japan already exports the Toyota HILUX. Just add a .50cal machine gn on top with a discount and Japan is set.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

japan had a good image untill today.

...seriously?

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

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