EU Reportedly Seeks Defense Industry Partnerships with Japan, SKorea

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida adjusts microphones at the start of a press conference at the prime minister's office in Tokyo, Japan, June 21, 2024. FRANCK ROBICHON/Pool via REUTERS
Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida adjusts microphones at the start of a press conference at the prime minister's office in Tokyo, Japan, June 21, 2024. FRANCK ROBICHON/Pool via REUTERS
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EU Reportedly Seeks Defense Industry Partnerships with Japan, SKorea

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida adjusts microphones at the start of a press conference at the prime minister's office in Tokyo, Japan, June 21, 2024. FRANCK ROBICHON/Pool via REUTERS
Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida adjusts microphones at the start of a press conference at the prime minister's office in Tokyo, Japan, June 21, 2024. FRANCK ROBICHON/Pool via REUTERS

The European Union is seeking security and defense industry partnerships with Japan and South Korea aimed at joint development of military equipment, the Nikkei reported on Sunday, citing a senior EU commission official.
These would mark the EU's first such security and defense-related collaboration with Asian nations, the Japanese business newspaper said in a report from Brussels that did not identify the official.
The bloc hopes to reach a ministerial-level agreement with Japan by year end, which could help the EU fund joint projects managed by Japanese and European companies, the Nikkei said.
Representatives of Japan's foreign ministry and the South Korean and EU delegations in Tokyo were not immediately available for comment on the report on Sunday, Reuters said.
Japan, despite a constitution that renounces war, says it faces "the most severe and complex security environment since World War Two". In recent years it has boosted its defense industry in its largest postwar military expansion, expressing concern about threats from Asia neighbors China and North Korea.
Tokyo signed a treaty last year to establish a program to develop an advanced fighter jet with Britain and Italy.
This month Japan started talks with the United States on forging deeper defense industry collaboration under the US-Japan Forum on Defense Industrial Cooperation, Acquisition and Sustainment, established in April by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and President Joe Biden.
Japan-US discussions have so far focused on naval repairs in Japan that could help free up US yards to build more warships, but cooperation could be extended to aircraft repairs, missile production and military supply-chain resilience.
Tokyo seeks to counter China’s increasing maritime assertiveness and has expressed concerns over any potential instability in the Taiwan strait.
It has sought deeper defense cooperation with the United States and the Philippines, and last week conducted a maritime exercise with the US, Canada and the Philippines in the South China Sea, where China's expansive claims conflict with those of several other Asian nations.



Vatican Cancels Pope’s Weekend Engagements as He Battles ‘Complex’ Infection 

Pedestrians walk past the statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized for tests and treatment for an infection in Rome, on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
Pedestrians walk past the statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized for tests and treatment for an infection in Rome, on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
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Vatican Cancels Pope’s Weekend Engagements as He Battles ‘Complex’ Infection 

Pedestrians walk past the statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized for tests and treatment for an infection in Rome, on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
Pedestrians walk past the statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized for tests and treatment for an infection in Rome, on February 18, 2025. (AFP)

Pope Francis, who began his fifth day in hospital on Tuesday for what doctors have described as a "complex" respiratory infection, will not take part in this weekend's Holy Year events, the Vatican said on Tuesday.

The 88-year-old pontiff has been suffering from a respiratory infection for more than a week and was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on Friday.

A planned public papal audience set for Saturday had been cancelled "due to the health condition of the Holy Father", the Vatican said in a brief statement.

A papal mass scheduled for Sunday will still take place, but will be led instead by a senior Vatican official, it added.

The Vatican said on Monday that doctors had changed the pope's drug therapy for the second time during his hospital stay to tackle a "complex clinical situation". They described it as a "polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract".

Doctors say polymicrobial diseases can be caused by a mix of viruses, bacteria and fungi.

Francis, who has been pontiff since 2013, has had influenza and other health problems several times over the past two years. As a young adult he developed pleurisy and had part of one lung removed, and in recent times has been prone to lung infections.