The leaders of Great Britain and Japan signed a defense agreement under which the countries' troops can be deployed on each other's territories.. AP reports..

Two countries strengthen military ties amid rising concerns over China's military threat and Beijing's plans for Taiwan.

Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom and Japan Rishi Sunak and Fumio Kishida officially signed the agreement.

“The relationship between our two countries is stronger than ever, not only in the area of \u200b\u200btrade and security, but also in the area of \u200b\u200bour values,” Sunak said..

Kishida, speaking about the importance of security and cooperation between Japan and the UK, expressed hope that he and Sunak would have a "

The Mutual Access Agreement, Japan's first defense agreement with a European country, allows the two G7 countries to conduct joint military exercises. The agreement has been in the making for many years and was discussed as far back as Kishida's meeting with former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in London in May..

The British government said this would enable the British and Japanese military to plan and conduct larger and more complex military exercises and deployments..

The agreement reflects the new 'Indo-Pacific bias' in Britain's foreign policy following the country's exit from the EU in 2020.. Britain sees Japan as its key ally in East Asia.

“In this increasingly competitive world, it is more important than ever that democratic societies continue to stand side by side as we face the unprecedented global challenges of our time,” Sunak said..

Japan joins Western countries in condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine and imposing sanctions on Moscow. It also provided Kyiv with non-lethal military assistance..

Japan is concerned that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could affect East Asia, where China's military is becoming more active and threatening to seize Taiwan by force if necessary..

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Worried about the rapid development of weapons in China and North Korea, Japan in December adopted key security and defense reforms, including the creation of a counter-strike capability, moving away from the principle of self-defense only, which it observed after World War II..

What are the three main threats to the country that Tokyo sees and what else is said in the updated main documents of the country in the field of security and defense, read the article by Ukraine's Ambassador to Japan Serhiy Korsunsky \! »: Russia's war against Ukraine forces Japan to arm.