Last month, I had the pleasure of joining the Foreign Secretary, Business and Trade Secretary, and some very talented colleagues and friends for a short but hugely productive trade mission to Japan. Flying the flag for our sectors, the mission – which played a crucial role in the UK-Japan Economic 2+2 Dialogue – brought together companies from across the UK to engage in a series of industry-to-industry dialogues.
But brevity aside, it gave me the chance to share some of the excellent work ADS is doing in deepening this relationship – work that I believe is useful to share with colleagues, members, and our industry partners.
The UK-Japan industrial relationship
The UK and Japan have long shared common interests in defence, space, cyber and aerospace, and these areas of collaboration have only deepened in recent years.
But crucially, this visit was hugely timely. With Japan’s defence budget now the third largest globally, coupled with its commitment to increase spending by 2% of GDP, the opportunity for UK industries to collaborate with Japanese counterparts has never been greater.
As Japan now shifts focus to future technologies, UK companies – especially our hub of world-class SMEs – are well-positioned to seize these new opportunities. This trip marked a ‘flag in the ground’ moment, signalling the UK’s commitment to expanding our presence in Japan and deepening these industrial ties.
What ADS is doing to strengthen our industrial collaboration?
At ADS, we’re proud to be central to this expanding relationship. We’ve partnered with the Department of Business and Trade, UK Defence & Security Exports, and the UK Defence Solutions Centre to host Defence Industrial Dialogues at several major trade shows. These dialogues have set a new benchmark for engagement and are being looked to by Japan as a model for collaboration with European partners.
We’re also working closely with Japan to strengthen our defence supply chain. As we become entrenched into the Indo-Pacific Industrial Resilience Initiative, we are looking to develop industrial workshops and networking opportunities for UK companies eager to develop their role within the global defence supply chain. This collaboration could be a cornerstone for deeper industrial dialogue, ensuring that UK expertise and Japanese innovation work in tandem to create a competitive defence industrial base.
But as the sector’s trade association, representing almost 1500 member companies, what was particularly noteworthy was the trip’s strong emphasis on fostering International Public-Private Partnerships. With plans underway for deeper engagement with our Japanese counterparts, it was encouraging to see both governments committed to increasing face-to-face engagements with our sector.
What is needed to fully realise the potential of our industrial collaboration?
The UK-Japan relationship is evolving rapidly but there are still barriers to overcome. As Japan continues to expand its defence budget, it’s critical that UK industries are positioned to participate in this growth. The government’s continued support is essential to this, particularly in reducing export barriers and increasing engagement with Japan’s expanding defence and aerospace sectors.
We’re also calling for more defence industry dialogues. Identifying shared priorities would allow both governments to focus their R&D efforts in areas of mutual interest – giving direction to both industry and government alike. We are eager to support this by convening industry colleagues to deliver valuable activities and dialogues.
It’s clear that ADS’ industries are uniquely positioned to work with our Japanese counterparts, and it was great to orient myself and meet with in-country partners. There’s certainly more to come, and we look forward to strengthening this important partnership by hosting the inaugural UK Pavilion at DSEI Japan in May.
One of the highlights of the trip was seeing the Embassy Taito Drumming team beating up a storm – great fun but also perhaps symbolic in seeing what can be achieved by working together.
