Defence Minister Lorenzo Guerini met with his Japanese counterpart, Nobuo Kishi, today in Tokio. Guerini is in Japan for a state visit. “Italy and Japanshare a deep-rooted relation, strengthened by our common values: freedom, democracy and the rule of law. We must defend these principles using an appropriate deterrence capacity. Great democratic nations must, in fact, take responsibility for safeguarding the fundamental principles of international law. Both countries have the same sensitivity with regard to freedom of navigation”
“Our countries are bound by long-standing, deep-rooted relations, which today are strengthened by broad common values, starting from fundamental ones: freedom, democracy and the rule of law”, Defence Minister Lorenzo Guerini, stated to his Japanese counterpart, Nobuo Kishi, after expressing his satisfaction for their fruitful meeting. The latter, Guerini added, finally took place in person, after two years of limitations linked to Covid-19.
“These are essential values which, however, are neither acquired once and for all, nor immune from threat, as sadly confirmed by Russia’s recent aggression of Ukraine. Therefore, we must safeguard them firmly and consistently: we must guarantee that free countries can always defend them, using appropriate deterrence capabilities, including the strengthening of mutual agreements. Great democratic countries- Guerini continued- must assume the burden of defending the essential principles of international law, which are there to protect civil co-existence. This is the reason why I see a strong connection between actions conducted to safeguard security and freedom in the Mediterranean, Indian Ocean and the Indo-Pacific: these are closely connected scenarios”.
Besides the developments of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, talk also focused on Italy’s full support to the strategy of the European Union. The latter aims at guaranteeing the promotion and development of new capabilities to be deployed in all operational sectors to tackle new threats, challenges and realities more effectively. Even if the Mediterranean Sea and bordering maritime areas remain the focus of the Italian Defence, due to its growing economic, demographic and political importance it seems also appropriate to strengthen the coordination of activities in the Indo-Pacific, an increasingly relevant area for international stability.
Italy and Japan share an approach aimed at safeguarding its essential principles.
Therefore, the common engagement of the two countries, at both the global level and in their respective geographic areas, seems only natural. “The geographical distance between Europe and the Indo-Pacific – Guerini added – “is, therefore, much smaller than it seems, and security implications for the two regions influence each other. This aspect is also confirmed by the fact that, within the context of decisions regarding NATO 2030, the Allies have agreed to strengthen the political dialogue and concrete cooperation with partners in the Asia-Pacific area”.
“Italy and its European partners have underscored the fundamental importance of safeguarding the Global Commons by including them in the Strategic Compass, i.e. the European security and defence guide-lines adopted on March 21st”.
The meeting was also an opportunity to deepen the status of bilateral relations between the respective Armed Forces, especially with regard to the signing of the Technical Arrangement between the Italian and Japanese Air Forces. The Agreement provides for the advanced training of Japanese pilots to be conducted in Italy at the International Flight Training School (IFTS).
Industrial cooperation was also a top item in the discussion. The ambitious Italian-Japanese technology and equipment implementation project, which kicked-off in 2019, culminated in January 2021 in the third edition of the Joint Working Group: a forum which allowed sharing ideas and development plans on Defence systems. Furthermore, Italy assigns great value to the Tempest project, aimed at developing 6th generation systems that will define the most advanced technologies and determine the future of the aerospace industry.
Italy’s ambition is to make this a model for future industrial cooperation, where Japan is seen as a strategic partner. “Among the elements that bind Italy and Japan – Minister Guerini said- there is that special balance between respecting traditions and the vocation to innovate which characterizes both countries. We deem that the understanding between our nations is open to further interesting progress specifically in the field of technology”.
