Japan Defence Chief Visits Turkey to Explore Drone Cooperation

Japan’s Defence Minister Gen Nakatani met his Turkish counterpart Yasar Guler in Ankara on 19 August to discuss closer defence-industry cooperation, with a focus on unmanned aerial systems. The visit marks the first official trip to Turkey by a Japanese defence chief and forms part of Nakatani’s 17–22 August regional tour that also includes stops in Djibouti and Jordan. Turkish and Japanese officials said the talks covered ways to broaden collaboration on defence equipment, technology sharing and unit-level exchanges between their armed forces. Ankara arranged visits for Nakatani to drone maker Baykar, Turkish Aerospace Industries and naval shipyards. While no immediate agreements are expected, Tokyo is considering Turkish-made drones as it accelerates the deployment of unmanned platforms across its ground, air and maritime forces amid heightened concerns over Chinese naval activity. Both countries are U.S. allies and have condemned Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, though Turkey has maintained economic ties with Moscow. The prospective drone cooperation would add to Turkey’s growing defence-export portfolio and support Japan’s effort to diversify suppliers as it modernises its military.