Japan and France will conduct talks in response to China’s growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific.
The Indo-Pacific area, where China’s development has alarmed many countries, is set to be at the forefront of both sides’ discussions, according to Kyodo News.
After the French Defense Ministry revealed its programme on Monday, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi stated on Tuesday that the two nations share core principles and strategic objectives and that they will promote security cooperation during the online “two-plus-two” conference.
According to the Japanese news agency, Hayashi and Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi will discuss a variety of themes, including recent regional developments, in their first meeting since January 2019 with their French counterparts Jean-Yves Le Drian and Florence Parly.
The countries had planned to meet in person by the end of 2021 in Japan, but postponed it due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has recently been driven by the rapid spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variety. Since their initial meeting in 2014, they’ve taken turns hosting such gatherings.
As China flexes its military power and asserts territorial claims in the Indo-Pacific area, Japan has increased defence cooperation with European countries, particularly the United Kingdom and Germany, according to Kyodo News.
It went on to say that France, which has overseas territories in the region like New Caledonia, announced its Indo-Pacific strategy in 2018 in order to maintain a stable and rules-based order.
Meanwhile, on Japanese soil last year, French forces conducted combined exercises with Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force and the US aimed at securing distant islands for the first time.
According to Kyodo News, France hopes to begin talks with Japan on a defence cooperation pact that would ease limits on the transit of weapons and supplies for cooperative training and disaster relief missions.
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