UK, JAPAN INK DEFENCE DEAL

It will allow British troops to deploy in Japan for training, other ops

THE British and Japanese prime ministers were expected to sign a “hugely significant” new defence deal allowing United Kingdom troops to deploy in Japan when the pair meet here, Downing Street said.

The agreement is the latest sign of London’s growing interest in the Asia-Pacific region, and Tokyo’s efforts to strengthen its alliances to face the challenges posed by China.

The deal creates a legal basis for the deployment of British and Japanese troops on each others’ territory for training and other operations.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s office called it “the most significant defence agreement between the two countries in more than a century”.

“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,” said Sunak.

“This Reciprocal Access Agreement is hugely significant for both our nations — it cements our commitment to the Indo-Pacific and underlines our joint efforts to bolster economic security.”

Negotiations on the deal, to be signed at the historic Tower of

London, began in 2021.

Japan in January last year signed a similar accord with Australia, and Tokyo has recently overhauled its defence and security policy to address growing pressure from China.

Euan Graham, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, described the deal as “quite a significant step up for both countries in terms of their bilateral defence relationship”.

British ships and aircraft could visit Japan and vice-versa, but it’s “diplomatically complicated” and required Foreign Ministry clearance each time.

The new agreement will create a “standing framework” instead.

That will make it easier for one side to “bring a destroyer to visit your coast guard, or to bring in an army group, or to bring in some

Royal Marines who want to train with the Japanese amphibious forces”, Graham said.

Japan has a pacifist post-war constitution, which limits its military capacity to ostensibly defensive measures.

But last month, the government approved plans to hike defence spending to two per cent of gross domestic product by 2027, up from the traditional one per cent, and warned that China poses the “greatest strategic challenge ever” to its security.

Britain has also become increasingly forceful in its approach to China, with Sunak warning in November that Beijing poses a “systemic challenge” to UK values and interests.

Kishida is on a tour of G7 allies for security-focused talks, culminating in a meeting with US President Joe Biden on Friday.