Britain and Japan will respond with “strength and clarity” as “geopolitical, economic and technological shocks are literally shaking the world”, Sir Keir Starmer said on a visit to Tokyo.
The prime minister, who met his Japanese counterpart Sanae Takaichi on a flying visit to Japan at the end of a four-day trip to China, has invited her to Chequers, saying that the relationship between Britain and Japan is the “strongest now that it has been in decades”.
Ms Takaichi said she and Sir Keir had discussed efforts to work more closely on cybersecurity, on bolstering supply chains of critical minerals, as well as the joint work on a new generation of fighter jet planes.
It comes amid increasing global volatility and as Britain’s relationship with the US appears to have hit its lowest point yet, with Donald Trump openly mocking the UK prime minister about the Chagos Islands deal and threatening tariffs on the UK for supporting Denmark over Greenland.
In a statement after their 20-minute meeting, and before a working dinner, Sir Keir said: “I look forward to our dinner in a moment, and to the meeting that I hope we will have in Chequers.
“We share vital interests and principles, but more than that we share an ambition for this partnership which can deliver real benefits for both nations.”
He added: “My visit here today comes at a time when geopolitical, economic and technological shocks are literally shaking the world, and that matters deeply to the British people, because these international events increasingly come crashing into our daily lives.
“When war overseas drives up fuel prices at home, it’s families that feel it first; when supply chains fracture, it’s small businesses and working people who absorb the shock; and when instability rises, it’s the vulnerable who are the most exposed.
“So, our response together must be one of strength and clarity, deepening our resilience, our powers and our alliances to better serve our people,” he continued.
“The prime minister and I share this perspective, and that’s why I’m here today.”
Ms Takaichi, who came to power in October last year, is about to fight a snap general election, which she called to secure a majority in Japan’s parliament in the wake of her strong approval ratings – meaning there is an outside possibility Ms Takaichi may not longer be Japan’s prime minister when the Chequers meeting takes place.
Ms Takaichi echoed Sir Keir’s comments, saying she would discuss “co-operation towards the realisation of a free and open Indo-Pacific” during dinner, as well as Ukraine and the Middle East.
She added: “In order to build a new era of Japan–UK relations amid the complex crises facing the international community in the 21st century, I would like to work ever more closely with prime minister Keir.”
Sir Keir’s visit to Japan comes at the end of a controversial four-day trip to China as he continued his efforts to “reset” the UK’s relationship with Beijing.
Travelling with a delegation of more than 50 business and cultural leaders, Sir Keir secured a reduction in tariffs on whisky and the introduction of visa-free travel to China for British citizens.
After a meeting between Sir Keir and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Beijing also agreed to lift sanctions on British parliamentarians.
