Following the news that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed a Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) with Japan allowing for bilateral troop deployment, thus further developing its military and industrial ties with Japan;

Madeline Wild, Aerospace, Defense & Security Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers her view:

“The invasion of Ukraine has led to questions around whether the UK would stick with its pivot to the Indo-Pacific region. The RAA between the UK and Japan is the latest in a series between the states that suggests the UK will remain committed to forging closer military ties in the region.

“The UK is in the process of drafting the appraised version of 2021’s Integrated Review (IR)—a document that will outline key strategic priorities for the UK over forthcoming years. The RAA is years in the making, and will complement other forms of cooperation between the states, including the UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

“UK-Japan defense relations have also expanded in the industrial sector. In the latter period of 2022, it was announced that the UK, Italy, and Japan would partner on the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) to field a sixth-generation fighter jet by 2035. The combination of industrial and state-level ties between the UK and Japan are of strategic significance for both states. The war in Ukraine has demonstrated that allied support can be just as important industrially: should a conflict erupt, the availability of a second industrial base to restock reserves and provide weapons to the front line can be pivotal. When coupled with close military ties the chances of success are higher.

“This news follows a change in Japan’s military posture, which has seen the state abandon its solely defensive position. The defense budget has grown substantially, growing by a quarter in 2023. This is in response to the threat posed by China, causing Japan to re-evaluate its military capabilities and seek stronger ties with its Western allies. This week, a meeting between the US and Japan was held where they publicly reiterated their commitment to one another’s collective security, agreeing that an attack from space would trigger mutual defense clauses in the bilateral agreement. Both cited China as their ‘greatest strategic challenge.’”