PRESS RELEASE : Rishi Sunak meets with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan [May 2023]

The Prime Minister met Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida this evening in Hiroshima, ahead of the G7 Summit.

The leaders welcomed the agreement of The Hiroshima Accord: An Enhanced UK-Japan Global Strategic Partnership as a landmark moment in our thriving diplomatic, defence and economic relationship.

They agreed that the UK and Japan would continue to work together closely to protect a free and open international order, building on the Global Combat Air Programme and recent Reciprocal Access Agreement.

The Prime Minister confirmed that the UK Carrier Strike Group will deploy to the region again in 2025, working alongside the Japanese Maritime Defence Forces. They also discussed further potential cooperation on training and exercising.

The Prime Minister described the UK and Japan as ‘islands of innovation’, as the leaders discussed the huge opportunities to grow bilateral trade and investment, as well as UK-Japan cooperation on semiconductors and clean energy technology like floating offshore wind.

The Prime Minister and Prime Minister Kishida agreed on the importance of the G7 having a unified approach on China, recognising the systemic challenge China poses to our collective economic security and regional stability.

They also discussed the situation in Ukraine, including continued military support to counter Russia’s unprovoked invasion and longer-term assistance to help Ukraine recover and defend against future threats.

They agreed that the G7 should continue to lead international work on holding Russia to account for its actions and supporting Ukraine to achieve a just and lasting peace.

The Prime Minister said he was honoured to be the first British leader to visit Prime Minister Kishida’s hometown of Hiroshima and looked forward to a very successful and historic G7 Summit there.