Tokyo, Jan 31 (EFE).- Japan and the United Kingdom agreed on Saturday to expand cooperation on cybersecurity, energy, and critical supply chains, as their leaders launched a new strategic partnership during talks in Tokyo.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi also agreed to explore ties in additional areas, including space, artificial intelligence, wind power and nuclear energy, following the signing of several agreements.
“Our priorities for this partnership also include boosting growth and economic resilience,” Starmer said at a press conference in Tokyo after meeting Takaichi at the Kantei, the Japanese prime minister’s official residence.
He said the partnership would be built on three pillars: technology and innovation, energy, and trade.
Starmer highlighted Japan’s role as a major investor in the United Kingdom’s renewable energy sector and said both countries see significant potential to accelerate innovation and deployment in offshore wind power.
He also noted plans to deepen cooperation in nuclear and fusion energy.
Japan has gradually increased the share of nuclear power in its energy mix in recent years, following the complete shutdown of its reactors after the 2011 Fukushima disaster.
The move aims to reduce the country’s heavy reliance on energy imports and help meet its decarbonization targets.
Trade, Starmer said, is another cornerstone of bilateral ties.
“We are both proud trading nations. So we have a clear interest in maintaining free and predictable trade… And a free and open Indo-Pacific… To ensure our businesses can thrive in a turbulent world,” the Labour leader said, in remarks broadcast by Japanese public broadcaster NHK.
He added the two countries will work to support institutions that promote commercial stability, including the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which they said should continue to expand.
Starmer also stressed cooperation on building more diversified supply chains, explicitly citing critical minerals.
In her remarks, Takaichi noted that this year marks the fifth anniversary of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between Japan and the United Kingdom.
She said bilateral trade and investment have grown by around 50 percent over the past five years.
“I believe this agreement has contributed significantly to that growth,” she said, highlighting chemical technology as a particularly promising area for further cooperation.
The Japanese prime minister also said the two leaders agreed to strengthen security ties and accelerate development of a next-generation fighter jet under a joint project with Italy, which aims to deploy the aircraft by 2035.
Starmer thanked Takaichi for her “warm welcome” and invited her to visit the United Kingdom later this year.
The British prime minister arrived in Japan for a daylong visit, his first since taking office, after a four-day trip to China, where he and President Xi Jinping agreed to pursue a “stable and long-term” strategic relationship, marking a thaw after nearly two decades of strained ties.
Japan and the United Kingdom have recently moved closer on defense cooperation, particularly in response to China’s growing military presence in the Indo-Pacific region.
Although Japanese government sources had said tensions between Tokyo and Beijing were expected to be discussed during the meeting, neither leader addressed the issue publicly. EFE
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