The Japanese Defence Minister today warned that the nation’s military build-up is at a ‘critical’ stage, aimed not at aggression but at preventing conflict. Speaking from Tokyo, Minister Minoru Kihara stressed that Japan must bolster its defences in the face of regional threats, particularly from North Korea and China. The move comes as the UK and Japan deepen their defence alliance, with a new agreement to cooperate on military technology and joint exercises. This development signals a shift in global power dynamics, writes our Economy & Labour Reporter Sarah Jenkins.
For years, Britain has sought stronger ties outside Europe, and this partnership with Japan cements a focus on the Indo-Pacific. The deal promises co-development of fighter jets and shared intelligence. But while the strategic benefits are clear, the cost is less so. Workers in the UK’s defence sector may see new jobs, but the public purse will bear the weight of increased military spending. Meanwhile, across the North, families already squeezed by rising bills wonder if the price of this alliance is worth it.
Kihara’s declaration that Japan is ‘building up to prevent war, not to fight one’ echoes a similar sentiment from UK defence officials. In Lancashire, where aerospace workers once built planes for war, they now wait to see if these new orders will bring stability or just short-term contracts. The bottom line is that deterrence is expensive, and in an era of stagnant wages, the question is who pays for it.
Union leaders have already raised concerns about the outsourcing of jobs on these joint projects. The GMB union’s national secretary said that while international cooperation is welcome, the government must guarantee British jobs and fair pay. In Sheffield, a steelworker told me: “We’re told to tighten our belts, but then billions are found for battleships.”
The deepening of the UK-Japan alliance is a strategic necessity, but it must not come at the expense of the kitchen table. As this build-up continues, the challenge will be to ensure that the price of peace does not fall on those who can least afford it.
