TOKYO, March 5 (UPI) -- Britain and Japan are considering plans to develop a joint venture weapons manufacturing industry.
The proposal follows a Japanese government decision to ease a decades-old ban on arms exports.
The initiative is to be discussed when British Prime Minister David Cameron visits Tokyo next month for a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, the Sankei Shimbun newspaper reported.
The British government proposals are initially to develop four military items, which include an auto-loading system for 155-millimeter howitzers, the newspaper said.
The British initiative follows an announcement in December by the Japanese government that it was easing the terms of its self-imposed ban on arms exports.
That decision opened possibilities for Japanese firms to participate in international weapons projects.
The arms export restrictions date to 1967 when Japan's industries were still recovering from the effects of World War II. The new regulations allow Japan to develop and produce arms jointly with other countries.
