The United Kingdom and Japan will allow military forces to be deployed to one another’s territory, as Tokyo expands bilateral cooperation with other U.S. allies amid concerns about China’s rise.
U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak signed a major defense agreement during a meeting Wednesday in London with his Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida. The pact — the most significant deal of its type between the two countries in more than a century — allows planning and delivery of larger, more complex military exercises, according to a U.K. government statement.
Japan’s foreign ministry said, “Signing this important security agreement takes Japan-U.K. cooperation in security and defense to new heights,” in a statement following the signing. “It will also bring further progress toward making a free and open Indo-Pacific a reality.”
