IT WAS a poignant moment in mid-April when a Japanese Soryu-class submarine sailed into Sydney harbour—the first visit by a Japanese undersea vessel since three of the country’s midget submarines raided the harbour and killed 21 allied sailors during the second world war. This time, Japan had a different aim: it was vying with France and Germany to win a bid to build a new fleet of submarines for Australia. So when Malcolm Turnbull, the prime minister, announced on April 26th that the A$50 billion ($38 billion) contract had gone to France, Japan took it to heart. The decision, it said, was “deeply regrettable”. It demanded an explanation.
Intense speculation had surrounded the competition between the three countries for the biggest single weapons-buying deal in Australian history. It will double the size of the country’s submarine fleet to 12. Some observers had taken note of politics in Australia. An election is looming, probably in July. Mr Turnbull says the subs will be built in South Australia, where support for his coalition government has been waning. Lay-offs in the car-making industry, and a downturn in the steel industry, have hit...Continue reading
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