Western arms suppliers shift Asian HQs to Japan

LONDON — Major defense contractors around the world are shifting the center of gravity of their Asian operations to Japan, as Tokyo prepares to sharply boost defense spending in the face of East Asia’s worsening security situation.

BAE Systems, a leading British aerospace and arms company, will shift the supervisory functions for its Asian operations to Japan from Malaysia by the end of this year, while Lockheed Martin of the U.S. has recently completed the transfer.