Japan says security ties with the UK at 'a new level' as aircraft carrier arrives in Tokyo

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TOKYO (AP) — Defense ministers from Japan and Britain hailed their “deep strategic alignment” on Thursday as a Royal Navy aircraft carrier made its first port call in Tokyo.

The HMS Prince of Wales, which heads a 12-nation carrier strike group of 4,000 servicemembers on an eight-month deployment in the region, is the first foreign aircraft carrier to visit the city, U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey told a joint news conference.

“We are proud to be taking our air and our naval cooperation now to new levels,” Healey said after holding talks at Japan’s Defense Ministry with his counterpart, Gen Nakatani.

The strategic cooperation with Japan is part of the U.K.'s commitment to be more engaged in the economy and security in the Indo-Pacific.

“Japan and the U.K. are the closest security partners in Asia and Europe and we have steadily enhanced cooperation,” Nakatani said. “I'm extremely happy to share this historic moment when Japan-U.K. defense cooperation has reached a new level."

The two countries are involved in the development of a fighter jet for deployment by 2035 in a trilateral cooperation known as the Global Combat Air Program that also includes Italy.

In a joint statement, the two ministers reaffirmed their commitment to accelerating work to conclude the signing of the first international contract for the project by the end of the year.

They said the project will help sustain national airspace sectors, maximize emerging technologies to meet any future threats and protect critical industries.

Japan has been seeking to expand its security ties beyond its traditional ally, the United States, to step up deterrence against China's growing assertiveness in the region.

During recent multinational naval exercises, a British F-35B fighter jet landed for the first time on the deck of the JS Kaga, one of two Japanese aircraft carriers that are essential to the country’s ongoing military build up.

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Associated Press video journalist Ayaka McGill contributed to this report.