Reference News Network, January 26 report: According to Japan's Asahi Shimbun on January 25, the Japanese government and ruling party are considering nationalizing military factories that produce ammunition to ensure a stable supply of ammunition in times of crisis. Specific operations will be entrusted to private companies. The Ministry of Defense has begun consultations with relevant companies and intends to simultaneously initiate the restructuring of the defense industry. The revised security three documents planned to be completed this year and the new defense industry strategy to be formulated will both reflect this policy.

Several government and ruling party officials have revealed this information. The proposed method of nationalization is briefly referred to as "GOCO," which stands for "Government Owned, Contractor Operated."

In a policy recommendation submitted to the government by the Liberal Democratic Party's Security Research Committee in June last year, it clearly proposed "introducing state-owned factories." In October of the same year, the Liberal Democratic Party included "promoting the implementation of state-owned factories and GOCO" in its joint political agreement with the Japan Innovation Party.

According to government sources, discussions on introducing the state-owned model aim to ensure that production lines remain available in case of an emergency, given the severe security environment. After the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, insufficient ammunition supply became a major issue for Ukraine. Ammunition stockpiles and supply capacity have become key factors in determining the course of the war. In Japan's weapon production, ammunition shortages are also a serious challenge. A former defense minister pointed out, "In the current production system, ammunition would quickly run out in the event of a crisis."

The Japanese government is considering future restructuring of the defense departments of private companies, not only involving ammunition but also including aircraft and submarines, and has already begun consultations with some companies. (Translated by Liu Lin)

Original: toutiao.com/article/7599574567577518611/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.