Japan’s government has announced that the country has agreed to start formal negotiations on a “Reciprocal Access Agreement” (RAA) with France on Thursday (May 2), in order to strengthen military cooperation between the two countries amidst escalating maritime tensions in the region and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
According to reports from Reuters, both Japan and France are members of the Group of Seven (G7) industrialized nations. In recent years, the two countries have conducted numerous bilateral and multilateral joint military exercises, with France pushing for the initiation of negotiations on a reciprocal access agreement for over a year.
The reciprocal access agreement aims to establish a framework that is conducive to military cooperation between the two countries. For example, it would make it easier for foreign personnel and equipment to enter each other’s territory when forces are visiting.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Thursday. According to a statement from the Japanese government, the two leaders agreed to advance the reciprocal access agreement following a lunch meeting that lasted two hours.
Japanese officials have indicated that finalizing this agreement could take approximately a year. Japan has already signed reciprocal access agreements with Australia and the United Kingdom, and is currently in negotiations with the Philippines on a similar agreement.
Against the backdrop of concerns over China’s pressure on Taiwan, freedom of navigation in the region, and trade disputes, Japan is seeking to strengthen its defense relationships with other countries.
Japan has also expressed support for Ukraine in resisting Russia, emphasizing the importance of upholding a rules-based international order.
France maintains territories and armed forces in the Indo-Pacific region and seeks to increase its presence there, while also aiming to highlight France’s potential to play a more significant role in Japan’s defense industry, similar to its position in the civilian nuclear power sector.
French Minister of Defense Sebastien Lecornu has expressed hopes of reaching a consensus with Japan on the reciprocal access agreement.
(Translated from Central News Agency)