British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has stressed the need for European and East Asian allies to be united against “autocratic, coercive powers” as he hailed a new defence pact with Japan.
Speaking in Downing Street alongside visiting Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Johnson said he was “so glad” the two nations had agreed a reciprocal access agreement (RAA) for armed services.
The landmark defence partnership will see UK and Japanese armed forces deploy together to carry out training, joint exercises, and disaster relief activities, boosting the UK’s commitment to the Indo–Pacific region, Downing Street said in a statement.
The UK will be the first European country to have such a pact with Japan, which currently has just two other bilateral visiting forces agreements, with the United States and Australia respectively.
The British prime minister praised the “strong stance” the Japanese government has taken against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
He said, “We in the UK recognise that our security in Europe is indivisible from the security, our collective security, in the Asia–Pacific, in the Indo–Pacific region.”
“There is direct read across from the actions of autocratic, coercive powers in Europe to what may happen in East Asia, and that’s why we want to work more closely together,” said Johnson, in an apparent reference to the Chinese Communist Party.
Kishida’s first official visit to Britain was marked with a guard of honour and a Royal Air Force flypast over Horse Guards Parade in central London.
The Japanese prime minister, speaking through a translator, thanked Johnson for the “warm welcome” and said he looked forward to a “very fruitful discussion” on bilateral relationship, as well as on Ukraine and global affairs.
The British government describes Japan as its closest security partner in Asia.
Talks began on deepening the UK–Japan defence relationship in September 2021, following on from the government’s integrated review of its defence and foreign policy, which announced a “tilt” towards the Indo–Pacific region.
In a keynote speech on April 27, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss called for a “reboot” of the free world’s approach to global security.
She said a new approach is needed that is based on “military strength, economic security, and deeper global alliances” to usher in a “new era of peace, security, and prosperity.”
Truss called for a “global NATO” with “a global outlook” and that is “ready to tackle global threats.”
She said the alliance needs to “preempt threats in the Indo–Pacific” and “must ensure that democracies like Taiwan are able to defend themselves.”
