The Real Reason Japan, Having Poured 411 Trillion Won into Defense, Is 'Studying' K-Defense

South Korea is now one of the world's top four defense powerhouses. While K-defense's share of the global arms market was a mere 0.3% back in 2015, its status has risen rapidly to around 6% in just a decade. It has written a 'K-defense myth,' easily overtaking traditional powerhouses like Germany and Russia, and closely trailing the United States, France, and Israel.

And there is a country that is dissecting this rapid rise with the utmost urgency. It is none other than Japan. Under its constitution, Japan is still barred from possessing an 'offensive military.' However, that legal shackle became an empty shell in April this year when the Takaichi administration began fully allowing the export of lethal weapons. In reality, Japan had already been encroaching on the global defense market for a long time through 'unorthodox sales methods.'

The decisive event that demonstrated the potential of Japan's defense industry by handing a 'complete defeat' to South Korea's defense sector was the 'Australian frigate bidding war' in 2024. The final bidders were South Korea, Germany, Spain, and Japan. Here, Japan, which submitted a higher bid than South Korea, beat South Korea to win the 10 trillion won frigate project. How did a country whose defense ecosystem was said to be on the verge of collapse beat the world's defense powerhouses with a higher price? Observers remarked, "While Japan cannot match the cost-effectiveness of K-defense, we lost to the 'alliance diplomacy' that Japan is building." This means Japan is selling not just military hardware, but also 'security partnerships' alongside it.

Analyzing the sales strategies of South Korea and Japan makes the difference in the paths their defense industries are taking much clearer. Under the banner of 'transfer of defense equipment,' Japan is providing security aid to 'allied nations' (primarily in Southeast Asia) through Official Security Assistance (OSA). Much like how baby formula companies market their products by providing them for free to postpartum care centers, Japan has embarked on a long-term project to bind Southeast Asian nations under the 'Japanese military system' by providing them with free weapon systems. China has become highly uncomfortable with Japan's moves. On the other hand, South Korea is conducting efficient sales by exporting K-defense products, which boast the world's best cost-effectiveness, to developing countries while even providing 'financing' to those who lack the funds to purchase our weapons.

Viewed differently, for Japan, which has just entered the path of arms exports with the mindset of "let's study South Korean defense," it is in a position where it is difficult to find any other way than 'distributing defense samples' as it is doing now. This is the assessment of Professor Chang-min Lee of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS), one of South Korea's top experts on Japan. In other words, Japan is in a state where it cannot replicate South Korea's approach even if it wanted to. The priority is to revive Japan's domestic defense ecosystem, which has gradually shrunk over a long period under the pacifist Peace Constitution. With the Japanese government deciding to pour a massive sum of over 43 trillion yen into defense over five years until next year, it is attempting to 'push out weapons'—whether for free or otherwise—to revive factories that were shutting down. Professor Lee analyzes that a fundamental anxiety about the current situation in East Asia lies at the root of these moves. He explains that Japan's current inner thoughts are: 'We cannot rely solely on our alliance with the U.S.; we want to build an anti-China Asian coalition (which, from Japan's perspective, includes South Korea).'

But if Japan's moves 'hit the mark,' what kind of dynamic will it create with K-defense? Will K-defense and J-defense (Japan's defense industry) inevitably find a point of 'cooperation' somewhere? Or will we see J-defense gradually eating away at the K-defense market? If the latter trend becomes dominant, when exactly will Japan's defense industry become a threat to us?

In this tightrope walk between cooperation and competition, how should South Korea's defense industry move forward? Professor Chang-min Lee of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies shared his insights with reporter Kwon Ae-ri on <Smart Talk>!

1. Highlights
2. "Let's Study South Korea": Japan's Defense Industry Faces a "Major Watershed" Next Year
3. South Korea vs. Japan Defense Sales War: "The Rules of the Game Are Different"
4. How Did Japan, Which Was Barred from Having a 'Military,' Manufacture Top-Tier Warships?
5. How Long Will It Take for Japan's Defense Industry to 'Catch Up with South Korea'?
6. Japan's Defense Industry Going Abroad: "A Matter of Survival"
7. Japan's Military Begins Preparing for a Long War of Attrition
8. Will Japan Increase Its Defense Budget as Much as Trump Demands?
9. Is Japan's 'Peace Constitution' Already an Empty Shell?

Reported by Kwon Ae-ri | Filmed by Park Woo-jin and Cha Seung-hwan | Written by Kim Eun-ji | Edited by Chae Ji-won | Designed by Chae Ji-woo | Produced by Knowledge Content IP Team
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.