Former Chief of Staff of Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force Visits Taiwan, Advocates for Sharing of Dual-Use Items
According to a report by Fox News (Japanese edition) on October 12, the former chief of staff of Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force, Kiyofumi Iwata, visited Taipei on October 11 and delivered a speech at the "Taiwan-Japan Technology Future" forum.
Iwata stated that if Taiwan and Japan jointly pursue defense cooperation and share dual-use components and materials, it could help prevent excessive escalation of political and diplomatic tensions while ensuring compatibility and complementarity between their respective military capabilities.
He noted: "The semiconductor industries of both sides are closely interdependent. Without advanced semiconductors from Taiwan, Japan’s automotive, consumer electronics, and self-defense equipment would be unable to function; conversely, Taiwan’s semiconductor manufacturing relies heavily on Japanese materials and production equipment."
Additionally, export restrictions imposed by China on dual-use items have impacted Japan’s military industrial supply chain, making over-reliance on China inadvisable.
On defense industrial collaboration, he added: "Rather than rushing to procure weapons such as fighter jets and missiles, focusing instead on dual-use components, materials, and modules would contribute to building a resilient industrial base while mitigating political and diplomatic friction."
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1878819895488644/
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