Japan-UK Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue 2026 – Joint Assertion

Japan and the UK are the closest of associates and companions, linked by our shared values of freedom, democracy, rule of regulation, elementary human rights, and free, open and honest commerce. As Enhanced Global Strategic Partners, a standing confirmed by the Hiroshima Accord issued in May 2023, we reaffirmed our dedication to working collectively to sort out the unprecedented world challenges we now face, selling safety, resilience, and prosperity, and advancing the imaginative and prescient of a free and open Indo-Pacific. In this context, we welcomed the numerous progress that has been made in advancing cooperation throughout a variety of fields and our shared dedication to construct a fair deeper partnership.

Defence and Security Cooperation

Recognising that the safety of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific are inseparable, we reaffirmed our dedication to strengthen our shared safety capabilities to assist safeguard world peace and stability. We reconfirmed the significance of accelerating our industrial and technological cooperation within the joint improvement of the next-generation fighter plane, beneath the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) with Italy. We welcomed the numerous progress of bilateral defence cooperation and an formidable programme of bigger and extra advanced joint workouts and reciprocal visits as demonstrated by the go to of the UK Carrier Strike Group (CSG) to Japan in summer time 2025, in addition to the go to of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force to North America and Europe (Atlantic Eagles) in autumn 2025, to each of which the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) was utilized. The UK additionally welcomed Japan’s method to evaluate the Three Principles on Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology and its Implementation Guidelines, which might strengthen regional peace and safety by way of enhanced cooperation between like-minded nations.

We concurred on the significance of deepening our safety cooperation. We reaffirmed the significance of our cyber collaboration beneath the “Strategic Cyber Partnership,” which was elevated to its present standing on the Japan-UK summit in January 2026, and our shared dedication to deal with hybrid threats, together with exercise towards important undersea infrastructure. We will additional develop bilateral cooperation on disaster administration by way of the implementation of the lately signed Memorandum of Cooperation on Mutual Assistance to Japanese and British Nationals Abroad.

With a view to advancing nearer session on defence and safety points, we sit up for holding a Japan-UK Foreign and Defence Ministers’ Meeting (“2+2”) inside this 12 months, as confirmed by our two leaders.

Economic Prosperity and Economic Security

Firmly recognising that our financial safety is constructed upon the steadiness, resilience and dynamism of our economies, we reaffirmed our dedication to deepening our financial relationship to spice up innovation, create shared prosperity and enhance commerce and funding. We are decided to proceed to work collectively to champion a free, honest, and resilient rules-based worldwide financial order notably by way of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Japan-UK Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (Japan-UK CEPA). We recognise the important significance of pressing, deep, complete and inclusive reform of the WTO, and we are going to take concrete steps to assist and strengthen the multilateral buying and selling system.

We expressed severe issues over all types of financial coercion, and using non-market insurance policies and practices which might be resulting in overcapacity and market distortions, in addition to export restrictions, notably on important minerals, that would have a major damaging impression on world provide chains.

We reaffirmed our dedication to the Japan-UK Economic 2+2 Ministers’ Meeting (“Economic 2+2”) which held its inaugural assembly in March 2025 and appeared ahead to holding the following Economic 2+2 within the close to future. We additionally confirmed our intention to additional strengthen bilateral cooperation based mostly on the Industrial Strategy Partnership and the Economic Security Partnership, that has already led to concrete business outcomes, and acknowledged the progress made on sensible steps to advance cooperation.

We confirmed our intention to additional promote bilateral scientific and technological cooperation to foster sturdy financial progress.

We recognised the significance of continued coordination to assist the steadiness of power markets, the protection and safety of provide chains and to take vital measures to assist world power provides. We reconfirmed our dedication to strengthen our partnership on clear power – together with by way of constructing additional collaboration on floating/deepwater offshore wind, nuclear and fusion.

Regional Situations

We recognised the significance of UK-Japan cooperation in addressing regional and worldwide problems with mutual curiosity. We reaffirmed our unwavering assist for Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity inside its internationally recognised borders, in accordance with the rules of the UN Charter, and renewed our willpower to work collectively, together with with G7 companions, to maintain stress on Russia, together with by way of sanctions and different measures, in pursuit of a simply and lasting peace. We underlined our continued dedication to assist Ukraine and significance of strengthening our help to Ukraine, together with deepening UK–Japan cooperation on Ukraine’s restoration and reconstruction, by working by way of worldwide coordination mechanisms such because the G7 and the Ukraine Donor Platform.

Regarding Iran, we harassed the significance of ongoing diplomatic efforts and expressed our robust hope {that a} full and lasting cessation of hostilities shall be promptly realised by way of talks. We concurred on the significance of an instantaneous and unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and respect for elementary navigational rights, in accordance with worldwide regulation as mirrored in UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). We reaffirmed our dedication to proceed diplomatic efforts towards peace and stability within the Middle East, in shut cooperation with the worldwide neighborhood. We shared the view that we might proceed to work for the stabilisation and the reconstruction of Gaza, together with assist for the“Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict”, upscaling help entry, the total and fast implementation of part 2 of the Plan, and reaffirmed our dedication to a long-lasting and sustainable peace in accordance with the related resolutions of the UN Security Council, on the premise of a two-state resolution. We reiterated our robust opposition to the enlargement of settlements and settler violence within the West Bank, and must stabilise the Palestinian economic system.

We reiterated our severe issues over the conditions within the Indo-Pacific, together with the East China Sea and the South China Sea, and strongly opposed any unilateral makes an attempt to vary the established order by power or coercion. We emphasised the common and unified character of UNCLOS, the authorized framework for governing all actions within the oceans and the seas. We inspired the peaceable decision of cross-Strait points by way of constructive dialogue. We expressed deep concern that North Korea reiterated its intent to increase its nuclear and ballistic missile packages and reaffirmed our dedication to the whole denuclearisation of North Korea in accordance with the related UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions. We expressed severe concern over and the necessity to tackle collectively North Korea’s malicious cyber actions, together with cryptocurrency thefts and its IT employee actions, and rising navy cooperation with Russia. We emphasised the significance of resolving the abductions challenge instantly.

We reiterated our deep concern concerning the impression of ongoing battle and instability in Africa, together with the Sahel and the Great Lakes areas. We reaffirmed the shared precedence of securing a ceasefire to finish the combating in Sudan, and addressing the dire humanitarian disaster sparked by this battle. We underscored the significance of collective worldwide stress on the combatants to supply secure, full and unimpeded humanitarian entry into and throughout Sudan.

Global Issues and Multilateral Cooperation

We confirmed our dedication to addressing world points regardless of the rising challenges of multilateral cooperation and to strengthening our improvement partnership, by collectively advancing important multilateral reforms, selling third nation cooperation to strengthen power resilience together with by way of power transition and safe important minerals, and cooperating carefully for stabilisation and reconstruction in Ukraine and Palestine. We reaffirmed our dedication to the UN Secretary-General’s reform initiatives, and to realising enlargement of each everlasting and non-permanent membership classes of the UNSC, together with assist for everlasting membership for G4 together with Japan. We concurred on enhancing cooperation on arms management, disarmament and non-proliferation efforts that mirror the present safety surroundings, together with within the context of the upcoming 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). We reaffirmed our dedication to attaining internet zero by 2050 and to maintaining the Paris Agreement objective of limiting world temperature rise to 1.5 levels inside attain.

Finally, we welcomed the invitation for Prime Minister Takaichi to go to the UK and Chequers later this 12 months, prolonged by Prime Minister Starmer on the Japan-UK Summit in January 2026. We confirmed our willpower to raise Japan-UK cooperation to new heights, constructing on the regular progress of cooperation between the 2 nations