By Andrew Chuter
Britain and Japan are to take further steps to broaden their defense and security cooperation, including investigating the development of an existing air-to-air missile and joint combat jet exercise, senior UK ministers announced during a visit to Tokyo on Jan. 8.
“Japan is our closest security partner in Asia and I want to significantly deepen defense cooperation between our two nations” UK Defence Secretary Micheal Fallon said in a statement released to coincide with the visit.
Fallon listed defense equipment cooperation, joint exercises, reciprocal access to military bases and military personnel exchanges among the areas the British want to see deeper cooperation on.
The defence secretary was in Tokyo alongside British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond for meetings with their Japanese counterparts, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and Defense Minister Gen Nakatani. Hammond also met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
In a joint statement released at the end of the visit, the two sides said they were taking forward a project known as the Joint New Air-to-Air Missile (JNAAM) to a second feasibility stage, having successfully concluded a first phase of work.
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