GLOBAL Britain will receive a trade boost through a new trade and defence partnership with Japan, the world’s fourth largest economy. It comes at a time when President Donald Trump’s behaviour over Ukraine has made Tokyo uneasy about reliability of the US, its biggest defence partner. The UK will become only the second country after the US to sign a so-called 2+2 partnership with Japan, as Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds meet counterparts in Tokyo, along with a UK business delegation.
Japan already invests £86 billion in Britain’s economy, with 1,000 Japanese companies supporting 160,000 jobs in Britain.The new partnership, helped by the UK’s accession to the CPTPP Pacific trade bloc, promises to build on a £27 billion a year trade relatiionship with new tech, defence and renewable energy opportunities.
It will include plans to develop a new Industrial Strategy partnership – the first of its kind for Britain – and the signing of a UK-Japan Offshore Wind deal to help the UK meet net zero targets.
But at the heart of the deal is an emphasis on defence and the joint development of Ai technology.
The UK and Japan, along with Italy, are already collaborating to create Tempest, an advanced 6th Generation fighter jet which will replace both the RAF’s Eurofighter Typhoon and Japan’s Mitsubishi F-2 by 2035.
The Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) employs more than 3,500 people across the UK,
The deal with Japan allows the UK to build on PM Keir Starmer’s pledge to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP from April 2027.
Both Lammy and Reynolds will discuss the scope for new growth opportunities between British and Japanese AI sectors.
The deal will also benefit Japan, however, which is seeking reliable partners in the Indo-Pacific.
While Japanese PM Shigeru Ishiba is heavily dependent on the US to keep Chinese ambitions in check, there has been growing disquiet over Donald Trump’s Ukraine policy and his behaviour towards Nato allies.
Japan has repeatedly warned that what is happening in Ukraine today could happen tomorrow in East Asia,
“We may be in the same situation tomorrow. That’s why Japan cannot ignore Ukraine, and why it needs to strengthen its defence capabilities,” warned an MP from Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party recently.
Jeff Kingston, director of Asian Studies at Temple University in Tokyo, added: “If you are the minister of defence in Japan and you look at the incoming Trump administration, you will have very good reason to doubt the reliability and strength of the Japan-US security alliance.”
Russia has already conducted a series of military exercises near the so-called Northern Territories which Japan claims.
The deal will also benefit Japan, however, which is seeking reliable partners in the Indo-Pacific.
While Japanese PM Shigeru Ishiba is heavily dependent on the US to keep Chinese ambitions in check, there has been growing disquiet over Donald Trump’s Ukraine policy and his behaviour towards Nato allies.
Japan has repeatedly warned that what is happening in Ukraine today could happen tomorrow in East Asia,
“We may be in the same situation tomorrow. That’s why Japan cannot ignore Ukraine, and why it needs to strengthen its defence capabilities,” warned an MP from Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party recently.
Jeff Kingston, director of Asian Studies at Temple University in Tokyo, added: “If you are the minister of defence in Japan and you look at the incoming Trump administration, you will have very good reason to doubt the reliability and strength of the Japan-US security alliance.”
Russia has already conducted a series of military exercises near the so-called Northern Territories which Japan claims.
But the key concern is China.
While Elbridge Colby, Trump’s new pick as undersecretary of defence for policy, has publicly declared Taiwan remains important to the US, the Trump administration has begun to press Taiwan to do more of the heavy lifting for its own defence, while warning it at the same time not to antagonise China.
Earlier this week Mr Colby declared that Taiwan was “ very important but not an existential interest” to the US.
Last night former British diplomat and Asia expert Charles Parton said: “Japan is petrified that Trump is following Lindbergh’s isolationist doctrine and is going to do a deal with Xi Jinping which involves Taiwan. This would mean the loss of all three island chains.
“it views reliable allies like the UK as more important than ever.”
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: “The UK and Japan’s interests have never been more closely aligned. From our shared understanding of the indivisibility of Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific security, to our desire to grow more together as we embrace the opportunities of new technologies like AI.
“By working more closely with Japan, we will give UK firms more business, puts money in people’s pockets and help deliver our Plan for Change.”
