Japan, UK call for humanitarian pause in Gaza

Japan and Britain pledged on November 7 to deepen their security partnership in the Indo-Pacific while also expressing concern over China's assertive military posture in the region, Kyodo reports.

The Japanese and British foreign and defence ministers meanwhile reaffirmed their support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia's invasion and condemned "terror attacks" by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel last month, in a joint statement released after their "two-plus-two" talks.

The first two-plus-two gathering for the two countries since a virtual meeting in February 2021 took place on the sidelines of a two-day Group of Seven foreign ministerial meeting in Tokyo through Wednesday. Japan holds the G7 presidency this year.

Japan's Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Defense Minister Minoru Kihara attended the gathering with British foreign and defense secretaries James Cleverly and Grant Shapps.

On the future deployment of a British carrier strike group to the Indo-Pacific in 2025, Japan and Britain confirmed their commitment to working together to "maximize the opportunities" provided by the plan.

The four ministers also agreed that Japan and Britain will expand joint drills following the enactment of a Reciprocal Access Agreement in mid-October.

A trilateral project with Italy to jointly develop a next-generation fighter jet by 2035 was also discussed.