Japan and EU announce new defense pact

TOKYO

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell (L) and Japan's Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya (R) pose following a signing ceremony at the Iikura Guest House in Tokyo on Nov. 1, 2024.

Japan and the European Union announced a sweeping new security and defense partnership in Tokyo on Nov. 1, which EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell hailed as a historic and "very timely" step.

Borrell and his Japanese counterpart Takeshi Iwaya unveiled the pact to develop cooperation on joint military drills, the exchange of information related to the defense industry and space security among other matters.

"I am extremely pleased to be here with Minister Iwaya to announce the conclusion of this security and defense partnership between the European Union and Japan," Borrell said.

He called it the "the first agreement of this nature" the EU has made with an Asia-Pacific country, describing it as "historical and very timely."

"We live in a very dangerous world" and "given the situation in both of our regions, this political framework deepens our ability to tackle emerging threats together," Borrell told reporters.

He did not mention China, but Japan has previously called its neighbor its greatest security challenge as Beijing builds up military capacity in the region.

After the Tokyo talks, Borrell heads to South Korea, where concerns about North Korea will top the agenda.

The text of the EU-Japan Security and Defense Partnership, seen by AFP, said they would promote "concrete naval cooperation" including through activities such as joint exercises and port calls, which could also include "mutually designated third countries."

It also said the EU and Japan would discuss "the development of respective defense initiatives including exchange of information on defense industry-related matters."

Japan, which for decades has relied on the United States for military hardware, is also developing a new fighter jet with EU member Italy and Britain set to be airborne by 2035.