LONDON (Kyodo) -- Japan and Britain signed Thursday a pact to allow their armed forces to provide logistics support to each other, including sharing of ammunition, as the two countries seek to strengthen defense ties.
The so-called acquisition and cross-servicing agreement, signed by Japanese Ambassador to Britain Koji Tsuruoka and British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson in London, is the third of its kind for Japan following those with the United States and Australia.
Tokyo is seeking to diversify its security policy, which has previously been centered on the Japan-U.S. alliance, amid uncertainties over how new U.S. President Donald Trump will evolve the country's foreign policy positions, political observers said.
Japan also hopes that the pact will encourage Britain's further involvement in the Asia-Pacific region amid China's military buildup in the disputed South China Sea and the rising nuclear threat by North Korea, according to a Japanese government official.
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