#21 Japan-Mekong meeting, Defence plan review, Bayern's port visit, Germany-Japan joint drills, towards realising carbon neutrality, AI-based customer service support
Here is a brief on the biweekly( 1st- 15th, August)
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi urged Myanmar's junta to release detained people in the Japan-Mekong meeting
Motegi will be visiting Middle East nations, including Iran, Israel, Jordan, Palestine, Turkey and Qatar
Japan plans to revise its 5-year defence plan earlier than scheduled
Japan Coast Guard has issued exclusion orders to 80 Chinese fishing vessels in 2021
The German naval vessel, Bayern, plans to make a port visit at Tokyo
Foreign Affairs.
Japan-Myanmar bilateral events: The Japan-Mekong meeting was finally held and saw the participation of foreign ministers of Japan and five Southeast Asian countries involving Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. Myanmar's military representative attended the meeting. Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi emphasised the importance of the relationship between Japan and the Mekong nations and urged Myanmar's junta to release detained people and restore democracy.
Motegi discussed with Erywan Yusof, ASEAN's special envoy to Myanmar, over telephonic call. The leaders agreed to work closely on finding a breakthrough in the political crisis that erupted in Myanmar due to the military coup. According to the Japanese Foreign Ministry, Erywan said that he would carry out his task while considering the advice from Japan. It is notable that though Japan has condemned the military coup, it has still not imposed sanctions on Myanmar, unlike the US and other like-minded nations.
Japan- Middle East diplomatic ties: Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi will be visiting Middle East nations including Iran, Israel, Jordan, Palestine, Turkey and Qatar to mainly discuss security issues and pandemic response measures. The visit aims to consolidate ties with Middle East nations that are strategically important as major oil suppliers to Tokyo. While speaking in a press conference, Motegi said, "through the visit, I want to reiterate our commitment to the Middle East, which has contributed to its peace and prosperity over the years".
Request to Japan to admit "no-first-use" nuclear stance": As Japan recently marked the 76th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombing, the former members mainly related to US State and Defence departments, the National Security Council, and the Federation of American Scientists sent a letter requesting Japan to accept "no-first-use" nuclear stance. The letter was addressed to Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, leaders from the Komeito party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the Japanese Communist Party, and the Japan Innovation Party. US president Joe Biden's government is considering a declaration wherein the US would not use nuclear weapons in an initial attack. The letter sent seeks to request Japan to support the policy.
Defence.
Japan plans to review defence spending: Japan intends to revise its 5-year defence plan earlier than scheduled to prepare for contingencies in the surrounding waters where China is increasingly showing its maritime power. The action aligns with the promise made during the Japan-US summit to bolster Japan's defence capabilities. According to government sources, the revision will help spend money on Self-Defense Forces equipment such as F-35 fighter jets, transport ships and unmanned submersibles. Japan's defence spending is about to hit a record 5.34 trillion yen in fiscal 2021, which denotes a 1.2 times growth over the last 30 years. On the other hand, China's defence spending is at 20.33 trillion yen, a 42 times increase.
In an exclusive interview with Newsweek, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga shared his thoughts on the Olympic moments, trade tensions with China, and Japan's defence spending. While speaking on defence spending, Suga said, "so including domains such as space, cyber and electromagnetic spectrum, in all of these domains, we will be integrating organically our capabilities to increase our defence capabilities." However, he also mentioned that Japan is not bound to keep its defence spending within 1%, considering the security environment that is getting tougher.
Exclusion orders on Chinese vessels near Japanese waters: During this year, the Japan Coast Guard has issued exclusion orders to 80 Chinese fishing vessels engaging in Japanese territorial waters in the East China Sea. In 2020 it had issued warnings to 138 fishing vessels, 147 in 2019, 76 in 2018 and 10 in 2017. The exclusion orders are given to foreign fishing ships trying to foray into Japan's territorial waters. While speaking on this, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi justified the nation's sending of official vessels to the area. And also said, "unknown Japanese fishing vessels" entered the waters of the islands.
Bayern to make a port visit to Tokyo: The German naval vessel, Bayern, plans to make a port visit to Tokyo in November. The ship will participate in joint drills with the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force to increase coordination and reinforce ties with Japan. The plan comes following the 2+2 security dialogue between Japan and Germany in April 2021. The defence and foreign ministers of the two nations agreed to establish rule-based order in the Indo-Pacific region.
The German naval vessel is on a seven-month mission to the Indo-Pacific with 200 soldiers on board. Bayern will visit Australia, Guam, South Korea, Vietnam and other ports in the region, according to the German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer. In an interview with the Kyodo News, Kramp-Karrenbauer said, "it is important that Germany shows its presence in the Indo-Pacific region into the future".
Interestingly, the recently revised Germany's Indo-Pacific strategy reflects a shift from the China-centered policy approach. But the German navy vessel will not sail in the Taiwan strait considering the strong economic ties with China.
Economics.
Going Green: A survey conducted by the Development Bank of Japan revealed that nearly 30% of companies in Japan plan to invest in technologies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Among the survey respondent companies, almost 33% felt that investments in decarbonisation were a measure towards expanding their businesses globally. The investment plan differed region-wise. Tokyo and surrounding areas had investment plans focusing on solar power generation, the Tohoku region in northeastern Japan towards offshore wind power generation, and the western Japan region of Shikoku towards electric vehicle batteries.
Japan's economy to rebound and expand post-pandemic: A Kyodo news survey revealed that about 90% of the 111 companies polled had an optimistic outlook on Japan's economic growth in 2022. Few companies that participated in the survey include Toyota Motor Corp., Sony Group Corp., among others. 94% of the companies said they are working towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The carbon goals align with Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's climate ambitions to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, which is his government's top policy priority. The companies also mentioned that they are ensuring economic security by securing supply chains for chips and energy resources amidst growing US-China trade tensions.
Technology.
AI-based customer service support: Oki Electric Industry and Japan Subway are conducting experiments to revolutionise the service industry with the help of Artificial Intelligence technology. Counter smart, a customer service support middleware, has been built to provide safe and convenient customer service. It is touchless and cashless. The installed cameras at the self-ordering terminal provide facial expression data. A unique algorithm recommends menu items that are likely to be of great interest to the customer.
Titbit.
Tokyo Olympics: With the onset of the Pandemic in 2020, Tokyo Olympics seemed to have been unreality. After a year of uncertainty, the games just got over with athletes from around the world coming together with positivity and hope. Japan is the only Asian country to have hosted the Olympics twice in its history. The first being in 1964 and the second being in 2021. Earlier, Tokyo was promoted to host the Olympics in 1940 but cancelled due to World War II.
Happy to note that Japan conducted successfully the Olympics after 1964! I don’t know how they efficiently contained Covid spread and scare!. No first use of nuclear weapon campaign is good! And talking to Junta in Myanmar and hopefully they will also talk with Talibans! Chinese expansionism cannot be tolerated and they are real threat to the small humble nations was the message from India on its Independence Day! Keep it up. Small droplets make big ocean!