UK, Japan to Sign ‘Most Important’ Defense Treaty in Over Century
Union Jack flags are seen surrounding the Elizabeth Tower, known as Big Ben, beside the Houses of Parliament in London, Friday, June 24, 2022.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The United Kingdom and Japan on Wednesday will sign a highly significant defense cooperation agreement in over a century, which will allow the two countries deploy their forces on each other’s territory, the UK government said. The deal will be signed by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida in London during Kishida’s five-day trip to G7 countries that began in France earlier in the week. Kishida is also scheduled to visit Canada and the United States, with the Japanese prime minister expected to hold talks with US President Joe Biden on security and defense cooperation between Tokyo and Washington. “Years of negotiation will culminate in the signing today, which will rapidly accelerate defence and security cooperation and allow the UK and Japan to deploy forces in one another’s countries,” the statement read. The statement added that the deal will be “the most important” defense treaty between the countries since 1902. According to the UK government, the treaty called the Reciprocal Access Agreement, is also intended to “cement the UK’s commitment” to Indo-Pacific security as it allows the two sides to plan and conduct larger scale joint military exercises in the area.
"This Reciprocal Access Agreement is hugely significant for both our nations – it cements our commitment to the Indo-Pacific and underlines our joint efforts to bolster economic security, accelerate our defence cooperation and drive innovation that creates highly skilled jobs," Sunak stated.
In early December, the UK and Japan together with Italy agreed to launch the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) to jointly develop a new generation fighter by 2035.
