Rishi Sunak Signs Hiroshima Accord With Japan to ‘Defend Peace’ Amid Growing CCP Threat

Royal Navy will be committed to Indo-Pacific from 2025

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty disembark their plane as they arrive at Tokyo Airport ahead of the G7 Summit in Japan on May 18, 2023. Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has arrived in Hiroshima, where he will sign a new agreement with Japan designed to boost defence ties and tackle the growing military and cyber threat from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in Beijing.

Sunak—who arrived in Tokyo on Thursday before flying on to the city made infamous as the site of the first atomic bombing—has committed to deploying a Royal Navy battle fleet in the Indo-Pacific in 2025 and to double the number of British troops taking part in joint exercises with Japan later this year.

The Hiroshima Accord will be formally agreed between Sunak and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida, ahead of a G7 summit taking place in the city.

Sunak has also agreed to a deal on joint production of semiconductors in a bid to reduce Britain and Japan’s over-reliance on the imports of crucial components from China.

Japanese Firms to Invest £18 Billion in UK

Japanese companies have also agreed to invest £18 billion in Britain, including the construction by the giant Sumitomo corporation of a £200 million undersea cable factory in the Scottish Highlands.

The Scottish government’s Energy Secretary, Neil Gray, said, “Sumitomo’s proposed investment in Scotland can promote rapid expansion of the renewables industry by connecting hundreds of offshore wind turbines.”

He said 150 jobs would be created adding: “These will be highly-skilled green jobs from a business with a strong record in producing high-voltage underground cables. The cables and the wind turbines they connect can help reduce emissions as part of the fastest possible just transition for our oil and gas workforce.”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak shows off his socks to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida which have the name of Kishida's favourite baseball team, Hiroshima Toyo Carp, on them during their bilateral meeting in Hiroshima ahead of the G7 Summit in Japan on May 18, 2023. Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

Sunak, giving a speech at an exhibition on British design at the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo,  said he was in Japan to “bang the drum for Britain.”

He told the audience of Japanese businessmen they should invest in Britain because of his government’s “unambiguously pro-investment” stance and described it as being an “island of innovation” like Japan.

Sunak said: “I feel so proud about what we’ve achieved, but also so excited about what’s on offer. The opportunity for us all is incredible, so let’s go and seize it together. Arigato.”

The prime minister, who is accompanied by his wife Akshata Murty, will hold talks with Kishida, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron as well as U.S. President Joe Biden.

The Royal Navy’s flagship, HMS Queen Elizabeth pictured before returning to Portsmouth on Dec. 9, 2021. Andrew Matthews/PA

Under the terms of the Hiroshima Accord, Sunak committed to deploying the Royal Navy’s carrier strike group to the Indo-Pacific in 2025.

The strike group includes an aircraft carrier and fighter jets and would see it team up with the Japanese military to “defend peace and stability” in the region.

Japan Tackles Pacifist Constitution

Following Japan’s defeat in the Second World War—during which it was Britain’s enemy—it was forced by the United States and the other allies to enshrine pacifism into its 1947 constitution.

Instead of an army and navy, it was equipped with Self-Defence Forces, but with the growing threat from both North Korea and the CCP in China, several Japanese prime ministers—most notably Shinzo Abe, who retired in 2020 and was assassinated last year—campaigned to change the pacifist constitution and give themselves the power to declare war.

The Japanese parliament, the Diet, has so far not amended the constitution but Kishida’s government remains committed to building up his country’s military to defend against regional threats.

Britain—Japan’s ally in the First World War—is now a close ally again and later this year the two countries’ armed forces will take part in a “vigilant isles” military exercise.

Around 170 British military personnel will take part.

The Hiroshima Accord also includes secret partnerships on combating cyber threats from the CCP, Iran, Russia and North Korea.

Speaking to journalists on the plane from London, Sunak said the summit was important in ensuring, “we as G7 allies are aligned in our approach to protecting ourselves against the risks and challenges that China poses.”

Later Downing Street put out a statement on behalf of Sunak in which he said, “Prime Minister Kishida and I are closely aligned on the importance of protecting peace and security in the Indo-Pacific and defending our values, including free and fair trade.”

“The Hiroshima Accord will see us step up cooperation between our armed forces, grow our economies together and develop our world-leading science and technology expertise. It marks an exciting next phase in the UK and Japan’s flourishing partnership,” Sunak added.