Britain, Japan to reach new defense, technology agreement
London, The Gulf Observer: The British government said that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will visit Tokyo this week to sign a new bilateral defense and technology deal with Japan ahead of a Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima.
Sunak will also host a reception of business leaders as he looks to promote investment in Britain during his first visit to Japan since taking office last October.
“I look forward to visiting Japan, a vital economic and defense partner for the UK in the Indo-Pacific,” Sunak said in a press release. The government did not elaborate on the new deal nor the details of the business leaders’ meeting.
Among recent defense cooperation, Britain and Japan in January reached an agreement to facilitate joint military drills, a move that came around a month after a deal between the two countries and Italy to develop a next-generation fighter jet by 2035.
In December, just before the fighter jet announcement, London and Tokyo also launched an initiative to beef up technological cooperation across 14 digital areas ranging from cybersecurity to artificial intelligence.
At the G7 summit to be held for three days from Friday, Britain will call for concerted action on economic coercion by hostile states and bolstering support for Ukraine as it faces the ongoing invasion by Russia, the government said.
“This year’s G7 summit in Hiroshima comes at a pivotal moment, as Ukraine doubles down in its fight for survival and we deal with complex threats to global peace and prosperity,” the premier said.
