On Wednesday 13 September, the UKDSC hosted the fifth edition of the UK-Japan Defence Industry Dialogue. The event was held at DSEI, London ExCel, with the aim to further strengthen relationships between UK and Japan defence industries.
The Defence Industry Dialogue was hosted and facilitated by UKDSC, in conjunction with Aerospace Defence Security and Space (ADS) and the Society of Japanese Aerospace Companies (SJAC). The event saw high participation levels from both UK and Japanese industry, with 17 UK companies and 18 Japanese companies in attendance. There was also strong support from UK and Japanese government representatives.
Damian Green, the First Secretary of State and Minister for the Cabinet Office opened the event with a keynote speech. Lt. General M Poffley OBE, Mr Stephen Phipson CBE, Mr Yoshiyuki Suzuki, Mr Yoshitoshi Nakamura and Mr Hiroki Suemori also spoke on behalf their respective governments.
Sir Brian Burridge, Chairman of the UKDSC, presented a vision for future innovation through partnership.
Lord Prior of Brampton closed the formal proceedings and initiated a networking session that saw positive interaction and engagement across a range of subjects.
An outline ‘roadmap’ for future events and activities was adopted.
The next step on the roadmap is an event being held on Friday 15 September at UKDSC. This will provide a forum for UK and Japanese Industry to interact through the demonstration of a number of innovative capabilities, with a focus on persistent surveillance from the air.
The Cabinet Office press release can be found here.
