Japan, Britain vow to deepen security ties amid concern over China

Japan and Britain pledged Tuesday to deepen their security partnership in the Indo-Pacific while also expressing concern over China’s assertive military posture in the region.

The Japanese and British foreign and defense ministers meanwhile reaffirmed their support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion and condemned “terror attacks” by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel last month, in a joint statement released after their “two-plus-two” talks.

Photo taken at the Japanese Foreign Ministry on Nov. 7, 2023, shows (from L) British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Defense Minister Minoru Kihara. (Pool photo)(Kyodo)

The four discussed Japan and Britain’s “alignment in response to China,” voicing “strong opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion” and “serious concern over the situation in the East and South China seas.

The first two-plus-two gathering for the two countries since a virtual meeting in February 2021 took place on the sidelines of a two-day Group of Seven foreign ministerial meeting in Tokyo through Wednesday. Japan holds the G7 presidency this year.

Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Defense Minister Minoru Kihara attended the gathering with British foreign and defense secretaries James Cleverly and Grant Shapps.

On the future deployment of a British carrier strike group to the Indo-Pacific in 2025, Japan and Britain confirmed their commitment to working together to “maximize the opportunities” provided by the plan.

The four ministers also agreed that Japan and Britain will expand joint drills following the enactment of a Reciprocal Access Agreement in mid-October.

A trilateral project with Italy to jointly develop a next-generation fighter jet by 2035 was also discussed.