PM Kishida, U.K.’s Starmer Meet Face-to-face for 1st Time; Agreed to Promote Security Cooperation

By Hirotaka Kuriyama / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

16:34 JST, July 12, 2024

WASHINGTON – Japan and Britain agreed Thursday to promote bilateral security cooperation and strengthen their relations during the first in-person meeting between Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Washington.

Kishida congratulated Starmer, who took office on July 5, and said he welcomed Starmer’s stance to attach importance to the Japan-U.K. partnership. The leaders agreed on cooperation to realize a “free and open Indo-Pacific” as well as joint development of the next-generation fighter aircraft between Japan, the U.K. and Italy. They also agreed to support Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression and continue strict sanctions against Russia.

On Thursday afternoon, Kishida met with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and welcomed Finland’s North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership, saying that it has expanded opportunities for cooperation between the two countries through NATO. They agreed to strengthen cooperation in defense equipment area and in the field of advanced science and technology, including supercomputing.