The UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, arrived in Tokyo ahead of the G7 summit, intending to address the dangers posed by Russia and China and secure detailed military aid to Ukraine. He will also take the moment to launch a new security collaboration with Japan and support £18 billion in private sector partnerships from Japanese businesses.
On a scheduled bilateral engagement on the side of the summit, Sunak will meet with Japan’s Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, ahead of the gathering of world leaders in Hiroshima on Friday, to discuss enhancing defence cooperation in light of China’s escalating hostility towards Taiwan.
Observers say that “the Hiroshima deal’, which calls for consultation on some military choices and Indo-Pacific training by the Royal Navy’s Carrier Strike Group, will be ratified and unveiled.
It’s been variously reported that Sunak views the G-7 host as strategic to the interests of the UK in areas such as technology and innovation.
The two leaders are also expected to exchange views on the supply of semiconductors used in cars, mobile phones, healthcare equipment, and other devices. Sunak’s move to strengthen UK-Japan relations comes at a time when China is posing a threat to Taiwan’s production.
In addition to his busy schedule, Sunak will host a UK business summit in Tokyo. The business summit will feature some of Japan’s big companies, such as Mitsubishi, Toshiba, and Sumitomo. Some of the top UK startups, such as Octopus Energy, Transreport, Mott MacDonald, Oxentia, and Winnow, will accompany the UK prime minister to the summit.
Before departing London for Japan, Sunak revealed that Japanese businesses have invested £18 billion in the UK economy. Hence, his meeting with Japanese businesses can be seen as seeking increased investment from a country whose economic interests align with those of the UK.
