Politics & Government

Japan-U.K. Foreign Ministers Confirm Deepening Cooperation in Security Field; Kamikawa Underscores Importance of NATO Ties

Courtesy of Japanese Foreign Ministry
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa shakes hands with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron in Capri, Italy, on Thursday.

By Ayaka Kudo / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

16:46 JST, April 19, 2024

CAPRI, Italy — Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa held talks with her British counterpart David Cameron in Italy on Thursday, confirming the policy of deepening cooperation in the security field, including the joint development of a next-generation fighter jet by Japan, Britain and Italy.

In the bilateral meeting held on the island of Capri on the sidelines of the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting of the Group of Seven nations, Kamikawa said that she was “encouraged by the importance that the U.K. attaches to the Indo-Pacific region.” The two top diplomats agreed on the importance of strengthening cooperation between the two countries over the situations in the Middle East and Ukraine.

Kamikawa also held talks later on Thursday with Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, underscoring the importance of promoting cooperation with NATO. “The security of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions are inseparable,” Kamikawa said.

In the meeting, Stoltenberg also confirmed the importance of the ties, saying that what happens in Asia matters for Europe.