(My latest stories for JDW) Japan urges Israeli restraint over Iran

ASIA PACIFIC

Date Posted: 17-Feb-2012

Jane's Defence Weekly

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Japan urges Israeli restraint over Iran

Kosuke Takahashi JDW Correspondent
Tokyo

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has urged Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak not to attack Iran's nuclear facilities.

On 15 February Noda called on Barak, who was embarking on a five-day visit to Japan, to resolve the issue of Iran's nuclear programme "in a peaceful and diplomatic way" by stressing that military options would be dangerous and only aggravate the situation, according to a statement by Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"A nuclear Iran is unacceptable, and Israel is determined to prevent it," Barak said on 16 February in a nationally broadcast interview with Japan's NHK television channel. "No options should be removed from the table."

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary, Osamu Fujimura, disclosed on 16 February that the government is considering despatching Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force vessels to escort oil tankers and sweep for mines in the Strait of Hormuz if needed.

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Copyright © IHS Global Limited, 2012 ASIA PACIFIC Date Posted: 10-Feb-2012 Jane's Defence Weekly Update: Kawasaki loses AH-1S crash case Kosuke Takahashi JDW Correspondent Tokyo Kawasaki Heavy Industries was ordered to pay JPY234 million (USD3.07 million) in damages on 31 January for its part in a Japan Ground Self-Defence Force (JGSDF) helicopter crash in June 2000.      The Tokyo District Court ruled that the crash was caused by a manufacturing defect in an engine provided by the company. According to the ruling, a JGSDF Fuji-Bell AH-1S attack helicopter crashed from an altitude of around 75 m at the Higashi-Fuji manoeuvre area in Shizuoka Prefecture, seriously injuring two crew members. The judgement said that the AH-1S lost power after parts of the engine's fuel control system became detached as the helicopter was about to move forward from a stationary hover. The company claimed that it had designed the engine following Japan Ministry of Defence (MoD) instructions and so could not be held responsible for the crash. This is the third major compensation suit between the MoD and a major Japanese defence company in recent years. In 2011 Toshiba sued the MoD for damages over the cancellation of contracts to remodel F-15J combat aircraft into reconnaissance platforms, while in 2009 Fuji Heavy Industries filed a suit against the MoD over its decision to reduce its order of AH-64D Apache attack helicopters from 62 to 13. "I am afraid more and more firms will withdraw from the defence business," said military analyst Shinichi Kiyotani. "Firms can no longer anticipate big profits and business risks are growing due to the ministry's strict stance towards industry [in the face of] a shrinking defence budget." This is an updated version of a story originally published on 3 February Copyright © IHS Global Limited, 2012 ASIA PACIFIC Date Posted: 01-Feb-2012 Jane's Defence Weekly Mitsubishi Electric banned from MoD projects after overcharging for SAMs Kosuke Takahashi JDW Correspondent Tokyo Japan's Ministry of Defence (MoD), the Cabinet Satellite Intelligence Center and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency have all barred Mitsubishi Electric from participating in open bidding after the firm admitted to overcharging in government defence and space-related contracts.      Mitsubishi Electric, Japan's second largest defence contractor after Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, announced on 27 January that it has started an in-house investigation after the MoD and the two other agencies on 17 January highlighted irregularities in the firm's cost calculations at its Kamakura Works in Kanagawa Prefecture. "We are very sorry for causing so much trouble," the firm said in a statement.The firm overcharged the MoD and other two bodies for the design and production of a Type 03 medium-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) as part of a contact worth a total of JPY33.6 billion (USD440 million) in Fiscal Year 2009, an MoD spokesman said. The three agencies said Mitsubish Electric would be suspended from taking part in public bidding until it paid back the overcharged amount and submitted a report on how it would prevent a recurrence. Copyright © IHS Global Limited, 2012