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Tokyo's first international defence industry trade show will host delegates from all over the world, but Beijing will not be welcome
Japan to hold first defence trade show, but China isn't invited 'out of consideration of hosts'
Japan will host its first international defence industry trade exhibition in May, bringing together manufacturers of military equipment, security analysts, military officials and representatives of defence ministries from around the world. But China hasn't been invited.
MAST Asia 2015 will be staged in Yokohama over three days from May 13 and delegates from countries including Australia, France, Germany, Malaysia, Norway, the Philippines, the UK and the US will be taking part.
Announcing the event, Warren Edge, CEO of Mast Communications, said no representatives of Chinese companies or its government would attend.
The decision not to invite them was taken "out of consideration of our hosts," he said.
Despite indications the bilateral tensions of recent years over the sovereignty of the disputed Senkaku Islands, known as the Diayou islands in China, are easing, there remain deeply-held concerns in Japan over Beijing's aggression in the region.
Analysts point to the increasing percentage of Chinese GDP spent on state-of-the-art weapons systems - including advanced fighters, a nuclear submarine fleet and aircraft carriers - at the same time as China is reclaiming land in the South China Sea and developing a prescence on other shoals and small islands.
The government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has responded by lifting a ban on the export of defence-related hardware by Japanese companies, giving firms with advanced technologies such as NEC, IHI and Kawasaki Heavy Industries access to a vast new potential customer base.
"Hosting an arms convention in Yokohama is a sign of the times as Abe shunts aside previous taboos on Japan's military," said Jeff Kingston, professor of Asian Studies at Temple University's Japan campus. "Most Japanese oppose, and relatively few support" such changes, he said.
Fears over Chinese aggression have also encouraged Japan to forge new security alliances with many nations in Southeast Asia, and the importance of those new relationships is demonstrated in the nations that will be attending.
The Malaysian delegation includes representatives of the National Defence University of Malaysia and the Royal Malaysian Navy, while the Philippines is dispatching at least seven senior officials. Singapore's representatives include top naval officers and the head of the Defence Science and Technology Agency.
Australia - which is reportedly close to agreeing a deal to jointly develop a new generation of submarines with Japanese companies - is sending a significant delegation, while the US business contingent will include employees of Lockheed Martin, General Atomics and General Electric.
Representatives of the US Naval Undersea Warfare Centre will also be taking part, alongside Vice-Admiral Robert of the US 7th Fleet Command, based in the Japanese port of Yokosuka.
The 12 previous MAST conferences have been held in the US, Germany, Turkey and other European nations, but this will be the first time the event is held in Asia. It is also around three times larger than any previous MAST event, Edge confirmed.
As well as providing an opportunity for companies to showcase some of their latest products, the conference will include a series of panel discussions, primarily on the theme of security at sea. One such forum will examine the future capabilities of conventional submarines, while another will debate securing sea lanes.
Representatives of the Japanese government will also address delegates on the opportunities for cooperation that exist in Japan's defence sector.
Japan to hold first defence trade show, but China isn't invited 'out of consideration of hosts'
Japan will host its first international defence industry trade exhibition in May, bringing together manufacturers of military equipment, security analysts, military officials and representatives of defence ministries from around the world. But China hasn't been invited.
MAST Asia 2015 will be staged in Yokohama over three days from May 13 and delegates from countries including Australia, France, Germany, Malaysia, Norway, the Philippines, the UK and the US will be taking part.
Announcing the event, Warren Edge, CEO of Mast Communications, said no representatives of Chinese companies or its government would attend.
The decision not to invite them was taken "out of consideration of our hosts," he said.
Despite indications the bilateral tensions of recent years over the sovereignty of the disputed Senkaku Islands, known as the Diayou islands in China, are easing, there remain deeply-held concerns in Japan over Beijing's aggression in the region.
Analysts point to the increasing percentage of Chinese GDP spent on state-of-the-art weapons systems - including advanced fighters, a nuclear submarine fleet and aircraft carriers - at the same time as China is reclaiming land in the South China Sea and developing a prescence on other shoals and small islands.
The government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has responded by lifting a ban on the export of defence-related hardware by Japanese companies, giving firms with advanced technologies such as NEC, IHI and Kawasaki Heavy Industries access to a vast new potential customer base.
"Hosting an arms convention in Yokohama is a sign of the times as Abe shunts aside previous taboos on Japan's military," said Jeff Kingston, professor of Asian Studies at Temple University's Japan campus. "Most Japanese oppose, and relatively few support" such changes, he said.
Fears over Chinese aggression have also encouraged Japan to forge new security alliances with many nations in Southeast Asia, and the importance of those new relationships is demonstrated in the nations that will be attending.
The Malaysian delegation includes representatives of the National Defence University of Malaysia and the Royal Malaysian Navy, while the Philippines is dispatching at least seven senior officials. Singapore's representatives include top naval officers and the head of the Defence Science and Technology Agency.
Australia - which is reportedly close to agreeing a deal to jointly develop a new generation of submarines with Japanese companies - is sending a significant delegation, while the US business contingent will include employees of Lockheed Martin, General Atomics and General Electric.
Representatives of the US Naval Undersea Warfare Centre will also be taking part, alongside Vice-Admiral Robert of the US 7th Fleet Command, based in the Japanese port of Yokosuka.
The 12 previous MAST conferences have been held in the US, Germany, Turkey and other European nations, but this will be the first time the event is held in Asia. It is also around three times larger than any previous MAST event, Edge confirmed.
As well as providing an opportunity for companies to showcase some of their latest products, the conference will include a series of panel discussions, primarily on the theme of security at sea. One such forum will examine the future capabilities of conventional submarines, while another will debate securing sea lanes.
Representatives of the Japanese government will also address delegates on the opportunities for cooperation that exist in Japan's defence sector.
