Japan looks to use U.S. shipbuilding cooperation as card in tariff talks
Japan has proposed cooperating with the United States in the field of shipbuilding, as part of the two countries' economic security partnership, sources have said.
The Japanese side also plans to send industry ministry officials to an energy-related conference to be held in Alaska, where a liquefied natural gas development project is planned, informed sources said Friday.
By highlighting its cooperative stance toward the United States, the Japanese government hopes to fend off tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration.
Stay updated on the trade wars.
Quality journalism is more crucial than ever. Help us get the story right.
For a limited time, we're offering a discounted subscription plan.
Unlimited access
US$30 US$18
/mo FOREVER subscribe NOW
Japanese economic revitalization minister Ryosei Akazawa, the country's chief negotiator in tariff negotiations with the U.S., held a third round of talks in Washington on Friday. It was not immediately clear if Akazawa had conveyed the shipbuilding idea to his counterparts.
As part of that plan, the government will launch measures to revive the domestic industry, which has long been in decline, the Yomiuri Shimbun daily reported Friday. It will support the private sector in the construction and repair of shipbuilding docks and in starting businesses overseas.
Japan aims to use the move as a negotiating card in the ongoing tariff talks, as the Trump White House is keen on the shipbuilding issue. China has taken an overwhelming share of that global market, triggering growing economic security concerns.
The government will reportedly include specific measures in its Basic Policy on Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform, also known as the 'big-boned policy,' and secure a necessary budget.
It will also support domestic investment, technology development and establishing data infrastructure in the shipbuilding industry through the Economic Security Promotion Law, the Yomiuri reported.
As for possible Japan-U.S. cooperation, the government is considering a 'Japan-U.S. fund for reviving the shipbuilding industry.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NHK
25 minutes ago
- NHK
NATO chief shares insights in exclusive interview with NHK World
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visited Japan in April ― six months after he took office ― seeking stronger ties with the country. NHK World's Sugita Sachiyo had an exclusive interview with the political heavyweight who shared his insights on issues ranging from Japan's technological prowess to concerns about China. Rutte also revealed his own personal connection with Japan. Sugita offers a firsthand account of the visit, followed by a transcript of the pair's interview which was originally broadcast on April 10. Rutte arrived at the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force base in Yokosuka, on a sunny spring day. Standing over 190 cm tall, he stood out among his Japanese hosts onboard a frigate. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visited a Maritime Self-Defense Force base in Yokosuka on April 8. During the tour, he was briefed on the installed military equipment, including United States-made underwater drones and Canadian sonars. I had a chance to ask a question at a brief press conference on site, but the microphone handed to me would not work, even after several attempts. "Here, let's do this. You can use my mic," Rutte said with a laugh, and stepped down from the podium. He held his microphone towards me. "When it comes to maritime security, Japan faces difficulties with China destabilizing the region and ignoring the international laws. So is your presence here, your visit here at the Marine Self Defense Forces, kind of like a message towards China and your support towards Japan?," I asked. Rutte replied: "I would argue that we have this cooperation now with Japan, but also with Korea, with Australia, with New Zealand, for now, for many years now, So that is important, and of course, it also has to do with the role China is playing. Let's not be naive about it. China is supporting the Russian war effort. China is building up its armed forces, including its navy, at a rapid pace. So we cannot be naive, and we really have to work together to assess what is happening." Japan's tech capabilities The administration led by US President Donald Trump has been pushing Europe to bolster its defense capabilities. Rutte's trip included a visit to a facility operated by Mitsubishi Electric, which is involved in a project to create a next-generation fighter jet being co-developed by Japan, Britain and Italy. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visited a Mitsubishi Electric facility in Kanagawa Prefecture on April 8. "We need this next-generation fighter jet to be available as soon as possible," said the NATO chief, noting Japan's high-tech capabilities. "Air defense systems, but also space, these are all areas where we really, as NATO, want to work more closely with Japan." Officials from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry arranged a meeting for Rutte with Japanese startups developing dual-use products that have civilian and military applications, including drones and quantum technologies. Rutte also met Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru during his visit, and the two leaders agreed to expand cooperation in the defense industry, as well as other fields. In June, the NATO Summit will be held in the Hague – Rutte's hometown – and Ishiba is expected to attend. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte met with Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru on April 9. NHK World spoke one-on-one with Rutte during his stay in Tokyo This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. NHK World's Sugita Sachiyo: You have been stressing defense cooperation, but now many allies are wondering if they should continue to buy from, and rely on, the US. With this unpredictability, would cooperation with Japan's defense industry offer attractive alternatives? NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte: I would not say alternatives, because I think that allies will still work very much together within the alliance, including with the United States. But we also need – and this is not instead of, but 'and' – the Japanese industrial base, to become even more involved. And anything you guys here in Japan can do to make sure when it comes to the rules and the regulations, et cetera, to make it even easier to buy into the Japanese industrial base, will be highly appreciated, because we need this collective industrial base within the alliance, but also with our partners. One-on-one with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on April 9 Sugita: Japan has specific restrictions towards the export of weapons. So would you welcome it if the Japanese government lifted these kinds of regulations? Rutte: Of course, I have to be hesitant in advising, through the media, the Japanese government. But whatever we can do to expand that, of course we would love it, because you have a huge and successful defense industry. By the way, China is still suggesting that they are sort of neutral when it comes to Ukraine. They still try to project this position of neutrality when it comes to Ukraine and Russia. This is crazy, because they are not neutral. They are very much involved. They are one of the key enablers. So let's not be naive. They're delivering dual-use goods. They are helping with sanctions, circumstances, and in the meantime, they are building up the Chinese armed forces at a staggering rate. For example, when it comes to space, where Japan is really at the cutting edge, I think that will be helpful, particularly now with what is happening in China. Sugita: So you have mentioned China. The US has said that they want NATO to take seriously the threats emanating from China. How will NATO respond to this? Rutte: Let's not be naive about China. As I said, China is a key enabler of the Russian war effort in Ukraine. China is rapidly building up its own armed forces. I think Japan clearly has acknowledged this, and the US administration wants NATO, when it comes to the projection of the collective impact, to become more involved when it comes to our Indo Pacific partners – Japan, but also Korea and Australia and New Zealand. And we are doing that, and that is important. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte Sugita: And maybe this trip, you in Japan…will also be, in that context, a part of it? Rutte: Yes and that's why I wanted to be here early in my tenure as Secretary General of NATO. Of course, we also have strong partnerships with the other IP4 countries [Indo-Pacific Four – Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea]. But Japan is by far the biggest economy in the IP4. You are the only G7 economy not in NATO. So cooperation is important – and not to extend Article Five [of NATO's founding treaty] to a collective defense clause to the Indo Pacific. That will not happen, I believe. But to have this practical cooperation when it comes to defense, industrial production, innovation – for example, working on joint standards to make that all possible. Sugita: I have heard from many NATO diplomats commending you on your good relations with President Trump. Could you maybe share with us, what's the secret recipe to getting along with him? Rutte: I don't think there is a recipe. We just like each other. Yes, we just like to work together – take, for example, on Ukraine, the fact that he broke a deadlock and said, we cannot accept the killing to continue at this rate. We cannot accept the fact that so many cities and their infrastructure are being destroyed. We have got to stop this. I really commend him for that and I think the US – being the world's strongest economy, the most powerful ally in NATO – for him, as president of that country, to take that initiative was important, and he broke the deadlock. Let's hope that he can bring this, and we will all support him, to a durable and lasting peace. But personally, yes, I like to work with him, and I think that this goes both ways. Sugita: On the US again – currently, there are many concerns from allies about the tariffs it is imposing. I know you've been repeatedly saying that this isn't for NATO, but how will you strive to keep the alliance together, and strong, despite these situations? Rutte: The tariff fight will have an impact on individual allies. And of course we are worried about that, because that could also impact their power in terms of investing more in defense when it comes to the real money. So that could be an impact. But collectively, as an alliance, of course, we have nothing to do with these terms. Sugita: What is your ideal picture of how the war in Ukraine will end? Rutte: The end has to be that Ukraine is there as a sovereign nation – that when there is a peace deal, that Putin will never, ever, ever try to capture one square mile, slash one square kilometer of Ukraine in the future again. And it means that a ceasefire – slash, a peace deal – has to be, as I said, lasting. We should make sure of that, not like in 2014 when he [Russian President Vladimir Putin] captured Crimea, and we had these Minsk accords and then, basically, 12 to 18 months later, he started again. We cannot have that again. We have to be clear [to him], when there's a peace deal, it is there, and [he] can never do this again. Flags of NATO and its member countries Sugita: I've heard from NATO sources that you speak a little Japanese. Rutte: No, I just can count to 10. But let me not do it, because probably it is totally wrong. My parents lived between Osaka and Kobe in the 1950s. So at home, there were so many Japanese discussions, about Japan and their lovely living here. I was really raised with a lot of respect for Japan. Thank you for the leadership Japan is now taking. We really want even more of that, because we need you, Japan, with all its strength and its power and its economy and its defense industrial base now, when it comes to China. We cannot be naive about China, and we've seen what is happening there. We have to work together on this. So I really want to thank you [for] what you're doing, and whatever you can do more of. It's highly appreciated.
an hour ago
Japan Party Leaders Debate Scheduled for Wed.
News from Japan Politics Jun 5, 2025 19:00 (JST) Tokyo, June 5 (Jiji Press)--A parliamentary debate between Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, and leaders of opposition parties will start at 6 p.m. Wednesday, it was decided Thursday. The upcoming debate will begin later than the usual 3 p.m., in order to make it easier for the public to watch television broadcasts. It is set to be the final leaders debate of the ongoing parliament session, slated to end June 22. The decision was made at a joint meeting of board members from the committees on fundamental national policies in both chambers of parliament. In the 45-minute event, the chief of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan will be given 30 minutes to debate Ishiba, while the head of Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party) will be given nine minutes and that of the Democratic Party for the People six minutes. The leaders are expected to spar over measures to tackle soaring rice prices and the Japan-U.S. tariff negotiations, ahead of the elections for the Tokyo metropolitan assembly this month and for the House of Councillors, the upper parliamentary chamber, this summer. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
Japan Times
an hour ago
- Japan Times
A new generation of 'Japan hands' and a changing world
The recent passing of Joseph Nye and Richard Armitage marks the end of an era in U.S.-Japan relations. As individuals, they could not have been more different — Nye, the Harvard professor and Democratic architect of 'soft power,' and Armitage, the straight-talking U.S. Navy veteran and Republican strategist. And yet together, they represented the ideal bipartisan alignment that underpinned a golden age of American engagement with Japan. For decades, they helped shape a vision of U.S.-Japan ties grounded in shared values, strategic trust and mutual respect. They were not only scholars or statesmen — they were Japan hands in the truest sense: people who understood that the U.S.-Japan alliance is not just a bilateral relationship but a cornerstone of global order. The loss of these two great men — who quite literally built U.S.-Japan relations through their personal connections and the energy they brought to their roles — leaves a gap that no single person can fill, nor should anyone try. The debate that Ambassador Ryozo Kato began when Armitage retired from public service has only become more intense along with the numerous tributes that have flowed from Washington to Tokyo. The truth, however, is that the world they helped shape has changed dramatically. The next generation of 'Japan hands' must reflect a new landscape — one defined by shifting geopolitics, generational change and a broader, more diverse community of actors. A wider circle The term 'Japan hand' once evoked a small, elite circle of policymakers, scholars and diplomats. That world is evolving and ever expanding. Today, Japan-engagement spans across industries, disciplines and demographics, from tech entrepreneurs and climate scientists to artists, educators and defense strategists. The next generation of Japan hands will be more global, more inclusive and more interdisciplinary by necessity. Japan is no longer 'No. 1' or the main economic alternative to America like it was in the 1980s when Armitage and Nye established themselves, rather it is a bastion of soft power and a global force multiplier for a more reluctant America that is questioning its own role in the world. Richard Armitage, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, attends the first International Conference Of Council for Arab and International Relations in Kuwait City in February 2013. | REUTERS We now see rising voices who may not speak perfect Japanese or have not served in government, but who bring deep curiosity and commitment to the U.S.-Japan relationship. Many are women or people of color and come from backgrounds long excluded from the traditional foreign policy establishment. This is not a dilution of the term — it is this very evolution that should be celebrated even as we mourn the passing of these giants and their moment in time. A tougher strategic environment The strategic context is also far more complex than in Nye and Armitage's heyday. The U.S.-Japan alliance must now grapple with a rising China and authoritarianism in general, coupled with powerful nonstate actors and the reshaping of global supply chains after COVID-19 and a changing global trading order. Climate change, AI and demographic decline are no longer peripheral issues — they are central to national security and economic statecraft in more deeply divided American and Japanese polities where domestic politics trumps foreign policy consensus. This moment calls for more friends of Japan who can appreciate and navigate these challenges with agility, drawing from multiple domains while maintaining the clarity of purpose that Nye and Armitage modeled. It requires not just Japan experts, but bridge-builders who can interpret across cultures, disciplines and generations. Honoring a legacy To honor Nye and Armitage is not to look backward with nostalgia, but forward with ambition. They taught us that loyalty to allies should transcend political parties — a message that feels especially urgent amid rising polarization and populism across our democracies. They also showed that strategic clarity and human empathy can coexist — and that is a lesson for any generation. There will never be another Armitage or Nye — or an Armitage-Nye pairing. But that's not the goal. What we need now is a network of Japan hands — scholars, practitioners, students and citizens — who bring new energy to an old friendship. People who see Japan not only as a security partner, but as a cultural and technological force in its own right where its global role is additive and complementary to the new world order. People who understand that alliances are not inherited and taken for granted — they are earned, renewed and reimagined by each generation with appreciation and reverence for the giants on whose shoulders we all stand. The torch is being passed. The question is not only who will carry it, but whether they will carry it with the same conviction and the same courage to adapt. Joshua W. Walker, Ph.D., is president and CEO of Japan Society.
