The Defense Agency will discuss with the United States the equipment and organization of the Self-Defense Forces with a medium- and long-term perspective in mind when Tokyo compiles its next five-year defense development plan, the agency's chief said Wednesday.
"It's time for the two countries to reshape their opinions on the direction of defense capability development," Defense Agency chief Tsutomu Kawara told Japanese reporters traveling with him on his trip to Singapore.
He noted that Japan's next five-year plan and the U.S. Quadrennial Defense Review are both scheduled to start next year. This, he said, will give Tokyo and Washington an excellent opportunity to exchange views on defense equipment.
It will be the first time Tokyo and Washington have coordinated in defense development.