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Defence giants’ move to Japan reinforces Tokyo’s commitment to keep the peace in Taiwan Strait
- Aerospace and defence contractors BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin are both in the process of relocating their Asian headquarters to Japan
- The moves come as Tokyo boosts its defence budget and begins work on a new fighter jet through its GCAP collaboration
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Global defence giants BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin are both set to relocate their Asian headquarters to Japan – moves that analysts have said show Tokyo’s commitment to strengthening deterrence against China’s possible armed conflict in the Taiwan Strait.
BAE Systems, one of the leading British aerospace and arms companies, will transfer the supervisory functions for its Asian operations from Malaysia to Japan by the end of this year, according to Simon Astley, head of communications of the firm’s Asia office.
“This move is an evolution of the process commenced with the creation of a trading entity in 2022,” Astley said in an emailed response to the South China Morning Post.
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“The next stage is the relocation of the regional managing director to Tokyo – a move which was delayed by Covid.”
BAE Systems has been playing a core role in the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), created by Japan, Britain and Italy in December last year to jointly develop a next-generation jet fighter by 2035.
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GCAP is Japan’s first major industrial defence collaboration with countries other than the US since 1945. With its new Asian headquarters in Japan, BAE Systems is expected to strengthen its cooperation with major Japanese companies involved in the trilateral project, such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
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