Japan defense minister visits Turkey for talks on drone cooperation: report
August 19, 2025

Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani had talks in Turkey on Tuesday on defense industry cooperation, including the possible supply of Turkish-made drones, Reuters reported.
Nakatani, the first Japanese defense minister to pay an official visit to Turkey, met with Defense Minister Yaşar Güler in Ankara, where the two discussed defense equipment and technology and exchanged views on regional security, according to a diplomatic source cited by Reuters. T

The source said the talks also aimed at increasing contact between the Turkish Armed Forces and Japan’s Self-Defense Forces at the unit level.
The visit includes stops at Turkish defense contractors and facilities in Ankara and Istanbul, including Turkish Aerospace Industries, navy shipyards and Baykar, the maker of the Bayraktar line of unmanned aerial vehicles.

A Turkish Defense Ministry source told Reuters that inspections of drones are on the agenda but no agreement is expected at this stage. 
“It is too early for an agreement,” the source said. Turkey has supplied drones to a number of countries, including Ukraine. 
Japan is evaluating options as it expands the use of unmanned aerial vehicles across its ground, air and naval forces, and Turkish drones are among the systems under consideration, Reuters said.

Both Turkey and Japan condemned Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. While Japan joined Western sanctions, Turkey maintained economic ties with Moscow.
Nakatani’s trip to Turkey is part of a regional tour from August 17 to 22 that also includes Djibouti and Jordan, according to Reuters.

https://www.turkishminute.com/2025/08/19/japan-defense-minister-visits-turkey-for-talks-on-drone-cooperation-report/