- Minister for the Indo-Pacific held talks with government
counterparts and business representatives on a week-long visit to
Japan.
- Trip showcased cutting edge science and tech collaboration
between the UK and Japan, one of its closest partners in the
region.
- Visit follows the signing of a landmark new defence agreement
between the UK and Japan to deepen key security partnership in
the Indo-Pacific.
In a milestone year for Japan, as it assumes its G7 presidency,
the UK has committed to doing more with one of its closest
Indo-Pacific partners to boost ties and robustly defend
democracy, peace and freedom.
Following the recent signing of the landmark UK-Japan Reciprocal
Access Agreement in London, Minister for the Indo-Pacific spent the week in
Japan, seeing first-hand the vital collaboration between the two
countries on everything from trade to education.
Defence and security are at the heart of the UK-Japan
relationship, with the newly announced treaty allowing UK and
Japanese armed forces to more easily carry out joint training
activities and exercises.
This builds on increasingly close military ties, including the
Global Combat Air Programme announced in December 2022, and
cements the UK’s commitment to the Indo-Pacific.
Minister for the Indo-Pacific said:
Japan is one of our closest partners in Asia. From science and
innovation to defence and digital, we are developing a modern,
cutting-edge partnership that is rooted in our shared values.
My visit has showcased the depth of that collaboration, with so
many more opportunities for investment, research and talent to be
shared between our two countries.
The Minister saw Cambridge-based AstraZeneca’s Tokyo
headquarters, where she set out the UK’s ambition to deepen
collaboration with Japan in research, technology and innovation
as two leading science superpowers. Deepening these links will
grow both countries’ economies, creating better-paid jobs and
opportunities right across the UK and Japan.
While in Japan’s capital, the Minister met Japanese graduates
from UK universities to launch a new British Council alumni
network, which will maintain the strong links between the UK and
Japan’s world leading universities. The Minister also attended a
Women in Parliament event alongside Japanese MPs, to hear about
initiatives to promote women’s participation in political life.
Beyond Tokyo, the Minister travelled to Kobe to visit leading
healthcare technology firm Medicaroid to hear about its work
developing the next generation of surgical robots, supported by
investors to the UK Sysmex and Kawasaki Heavy Industries.
In Osaka, the Minister met with the Organising Committee of the
Osaka Kansai Expo 2025 and held talks with senior business
figures, including the head of the Kankeiren, a regional
federation of 1300 businesses, organisations and educational
corporations. They discussed the UK government’s ambition to
strengthen economic ties with companies across Japan, as well as
the benefits of the UK joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership
trading bloc (CPTPP) as accession talks continue. Joining the
CPTPP will bring the UK closer to a dynamic group of economies in
the Indo-Pacific, including Japan, creating opportunities for
cooperation not only on trade but also to uphold shared values.
In Hiroshima, the Minister visited the Peace Memorial Museum and
Park to lay a wreath and meet atomic bomb survivors, and
reiterated the UK’s commitment to the long-term goal of a world
without nuclear weapons. She also met the Mayor and Governor of
Hiroshima as the city prepares to host the G7 Leaders’ Summit in
May.
Minister Trevelyan met counterparts from the Japanese Government
including Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and State Minister
for Foreign Affairs Kenji Yamada, with whom she discussed Japan’s
priorities for its G7 presidency and explored what both countries
can do to accelerate support for Ukraine following Russia’s
invasion. The Minister also held meetings with Minister of
Economy, Trade and Industry Fusae Ota, and Economic Security
Minister Sanae Takaichi.
The trip underlines the UK’s commitment to the Indo-Pacific,
which Prime Minister reiterated to Japan’s Prime
Minister Fumio Kishida on his visit to London last week. The
region is not only home to likeminded partners with whom the UK
shares fundamental beliefs in peace and democracy, but also many
of the world’s fastest-growing economies, making it critical to
UK prosperity.
