Rishi Sunak and Japanese PM sign ‘most significant defence agreement in a century’

Rishi Sunak and the Japanese prime minister will sign what the UK government said will be the most significant defence agreement between the two nations in more than a century.

The PM and his counterpart Fumio Kishida will meet at the Tower of London today to officially sign the pact, which will allow the UK and Japan to deploy forces in one another’s countries.

It will make the UK the first European country to have a reciprocal access agreement with Japan, with No 10 hailing it as “the most important defence treaty between London and Tokyo since 1902”.

The deal is part of the UK’s defence and foreign policy “tilt” towards the Indo-Pacific region following an integrated review in 2021 that recognised the growing impact of China in the area.

The access agreement has been years in the making, with former prime minister Boris Johnson agreeing a deal in principle in May during Mr Kishida’s first official visit to Britain.

Mr Sunak said the accord would “cement the UK’s commitment to the Indo-Pacific” and bolster economic security.

Officials said the defence agreement would allow both forces to plan and deliver larger and more complex military exercises and deployments.

Mr Sunak said: “In the past 12 months, we have written the next chapter of the relationship between the UK and Japan – accelerating, building and deepening our ties.

“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.”

Mr Kishida’s visit to London is part of a whistlestop tour to five G7 nations, marking Japan taking on the rotating presidency of the group for 2023.

His trip, which will see him visit France, Italy, the UK, Canada and finally the US in the space of five days, comes as Japan breaks from its post-war restraint to take on more offensive roles, with an eye toward China.

Japan announced last month it had adopted security and defence reforms, including a counter-strike capability that breaks from an exclusively self-defence-only principle that had been in place since its Second World War defeat.

While at the historic Tower of London, Mr Sunak and Mr Kishida will visit Japanese armour on display.

It was presented to King James VI in 1613 by the then-Shogun Tokugawa Hidetada of Japan.to mark the first-ever trade agreement between the two countries.

Putting pen to paper at the Tower will come weeks after the UK and Japan agreed, along with Italy, to develop the next generation of combat air fighter jets under the Global Combat Air Programme.

Last month, the UK and Japan also launched a new digital partnership to strengthen co-operation across cyber resilience, online safety and semiconductors.

As well as meeting to discuss defence and security challenges, the leaders are expected to discuss trade and the G7 response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with the conflict approaching its first anniversary.