Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida left the country for his official visits to France, Brazil and Paraguay on 1 May 2024 and made a series of important contacts in France, his first stop. Kishida attended the opening of the ministerial council meeting of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), as well as an event on productive artificial intelligence, and also held an important meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace.
With these contacts, the two countries started negotiations on the signing of a Mutual Military Access Agreement (MMA).[1] This agreement is expected to facilitate military co-operation and promote interoperability between the two forces.
At a time when Western powers have increased their bilateral and multilateral military exercises in the Asia-Pacific in recent years, mutual access agreements between allies have become increasingly important. In this context, both Paris and Tokyo have long expressed their intention to sign such an agreement. As a matter of fact, such access agreements, which allow navy and troop visits as well as the deployment of military equipment, also maximise military cooperation between the parties.
The countries with which Japan has signed or plans to sign mutual access agreements to date can be summarised as follows:[2]
Signed for:
- India (10 September 2020)
- Australia (6 January 2022)
- UK (5 May 2022)
Those in the Negotiation Process:
- Philippine
- France
Planned for:
- Indonesia
- Thailand
Japan is also home to the largest United States (US) contingent abroad under the 1951 Security Treaty. Japan has sought to strengthen defence ties, particularly with its Western allies, amid regional security concerns, including the Taiwan issue, freedom of navigation in the region and trade disputes.
In a period of escalating geopolitical uncertainties and tensions in the Pacific, France is accelerating its military preparations and deployment in order to protect its territories and citizens in the region. France, which does not want to be left behind other allies such as the USA, the UK and Australia, sees the mutual access agreement to be signed with Japan and the military co-operation to be established in the future as very valuable in this sense.
In December 2023, France and Japan adopted a “joint roadmap” aimed at intensifying defence and nuclear energy cooperation and agreed to “close coordination in the face of international crises”.[3] In the 21-page joint roadmap, the parties expressed concern to “oppose any action that jeopardises regional stability and the international rules-based order”.[4]
Currently, France’s military presence in the Pacific comprises seven ships, nine aircraft and around 7,000 military personnel. In addition, France routinely organises joint naval exercises with other regional powers such as Japan and Australia. In 2023, France and Japan conducted their first joint land force exercise, “Exercise Brunet-Takamori”, in New Caledonia.[5]
On the other hand, France also distinguishes itself from the polarising US policy in the Asia-Pacific. In this sense, Paris is one of the few countries that does not follow Washington’s strategy of encircling Beijing by building alliances in the region. The others are India, Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries.
France positions Japan very differently in its Asia-Pacific strategy. It should be recalled that after the NATO Vilnius meeting in June 2023, France strongly opposed the plans to open a NATO liaison office in Tokyo. In fact, France stood directly, openly and persistently against the US’s Asia-Pacific policies and sent a clear message that it would not follow it in regional politics. In this respect, a military partnership with Japan would be very valuable for France’s own interests, goals and prestige in the Asia-Pacific.
[1] “France, Japan Launch Talks On Reciprocal Troop Access Agreement”, Strat News Global, https://stratnewsglobal.com/world-news/france-japan-plan-troop-access-deal/, (Erişim Tarihi: 03.05.2024).
[2] “ANKASAM İnfografik: Japonya’nın Diğer Devletlerle İmzaladığı Karşılıklı Erişim Anlaşmaları”, ANKASAM, https://www.ankasam.org/ankasam-infografik-japonyanin-diger-devletlerle-imzaladigi-karsilikli-erisim-anlasmalari/, (Access Date: 03.05.2024).
[3] “Japanese PM sets off on six-day trip to France and Latin America”, RFİ, https://www.rfi.fr/en/international/20240501-japanese-pm-sets-off-on-six-day-trip-to-france-and-latin-america, (Access Date: 03.05.2024).
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.
