Thales to open what could be Japan’s first foreign-run defence maintenance base

French defence company Thales SA will establish a maintenance and operational support base in Japan for military equipment, Nikkei reported on Monday, but neither an opening date nor a location has been revealed. Chairman and chief executive Patrice Caine told the Nikkei business daily that the base “will mark a milestone toward Thales’s long-term engagement in Japan”. The facility could be the first in Japan set up by a foreign defence company to maintain military equipment and support its operation, the newspaper reported. The new maintenance base will check the condition of military equipment and diagnose faults, according to Nikkei….