Japan and Britain agreed Saturday to accelerate cooperation on cybersecurity and the supply of critical minerals, as China’s influence grows in the region.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his visit to Japan comes at a time “when geopolitical, economic and technological shocks are literally shaking the world.”
Starmer’s overnight Tokyo visit comes on the heels of his trip to Beijing, where he and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to seek a long-term, stable “strategic partnership.” Japan has faced growing tension from China since a comment by the country’s leader Sanae Takaichi about a possible Japanese involvement in the case of Chinese military action against Taiwan, the self-governing island Beijing claims as its own.
He told a joint news conference that he and Takaichi agreed during their talks to strengthen collective security across the Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific, while boosting growth and economic resilience, and to launch a new cyber strategic partnership “to improve our cybersecurity to protect our economy.”
Japan has been stepping up its cybersecurity as experts have raised concerns about its vulnerability, especially as the country accelerates its military buildup and works more closely with the United States and other partners.
