Japan will continue to boost relations with Britain under its new administration following the opposition Labour Party’s landslide victory in a general election, the top government spokesman said Friday.
“Japan and Britain are important partners sharing values and principles. We will further promote the bilateral relationship with the new administration,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a regular press conference.
Hayashi also said Tokyo is willing to work together with London in dealing with global challenges such as Russia’s protracted invasion of Ukraine and realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific, a vision advocated by Japan in a veiled bid to counter China.
With the Labour Party securing a majority in the House of Commons after Thursday’s election, its leader Keir Starmer became British prime minister, succeeding Rishi Sunak and ending 14 years of Conservative Party rule.
During that time, Japan and Britain stepped up their security ties in response to the increasingly complex geopolitical environment, notably influenced in recent years by Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and China’s intensifying military activities in the Asia-Pacific region.
The two nations also rolled out a project with Italy to develop a next-generation fighter jet by 2035. Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara said at a separate news conference that the importance of the trilateral fighter jet plan “will remain unchanged.”