Major Defense Pact To Be Signed With U.K.

Japan and the United Kingdom plan to sign a major defense pact next month, reports the Financial Times (U.K.).

The Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) would make it easier for the two countries to hold joint exercises, simplify logistics cooperation and make it easier to deploy troops to the other country.

Japan has signed a similar agreement with Australia and is in the early stages of considering an access deal with the Philippines.

Tokyo has been strengthening defense ties with allies amid concerns about growing Chinese assertiveness in the region and the reliability of the U.S.

While President Joe Biden has reinvigorated U.S. alliances, the Republican Party has increasingly taken an isolationist stance.

U.S. military officials, welcome the agreement, noting that it would make it easier for American and Japanese allies to train together and overcome logistical obstacles.