The leaders of Britain and Japan were yesterday to sign a defense agreement that could see troops deployed to each others’ territory.
The two states are strengthening military ties amid growing concern about China’s increasing military assertiveness and designs toward Taiwan.
The British government said the defense agreement “cements our commitment to the Indo-Pacific” region.
Photo: AP
It was due to be signed by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during a meeting in the symbolic setting of the Tower of London fortress.
The deal has been in the works for years, and was discussed when Kishida visited Sunak’s predecessor, former British prime minister Boris Johnson, in London in May last year.
The Reciprocal Access Agreement — Japan’s first with a European nation — allows the two to hold joint military exercises.
Photo: Reuters
The British government said it would allow the armed forces of the two G7 states “to plan and deliver larger and more complex military exercises and deployments.”
It reflects a new “Indo-Pacific tilt” in Britain’s foreign policy following the kingdom’s departure from the EU in 2020. Britain sees Japan as its key East Asian ally.
“In this increasingly competitive world, it is more important than ever that democratic societies continue to stand shoulder to shoulder as we navigate the unprecedented global challenges of our time,” Sunak said.
The two leaders were meeting at the Tower of London, a 1,000-year-old former palace and prison that houses the Crown Jewels.
Sunak’s office said they would view Japanese armor presented to King James in 1613 by Shogun Tokugawa Hidetada of Japan to mark the first-ever trade agreement between England and Japan.
Japan has joined Western nations in condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and imposing sanctions against Moscow. Japan also has supplied Ukraine with helmets and other non-lethal military aid.
Japan is concerned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could have an impact in East Asia, where China’s military has grown increasingly assertive and threatened to “unite” with Taiwan by force if necessary.
Concerned about rapid weapons advancement in China and North Korea, Japan last month adopted key security and defense reforms, including a counterstrike capability that makes a break from the self-defense-only principle it has maintained since its defeat in World War II.
Japan holds the presidency of the G7 this year, and Kishida is on a week-long trip to visit allies including Italy, France, Canada and the US, where he is due to meet US President Joe Biden at the White House tomorrow.
On Tuesday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Kishida agreed at a meeting to strengthen ties in a range of spheres including the economy, trade and security, the leaders said.
“We have agreed to elevate our relations to the level of a strategic partnership,” Meloni told reporters in a brief statement after the meeting in Rome.
Among the areas of heightened cooperation Kishida cited diplomacy, investment, railways and cinema.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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