At a time when Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic security are increasingly interlinked, Japan and the UK have entered a “new golden age” in defense cooperation.
British Defense Minister John Healey and his Japanese counterpart Gen Nakatani reaffirmed their security partnership and highlighted areas of defense cooperation in cyber, space, and other domains during the bilateral Defence Ministerial Meeting in Tokyo.
The meeting was followed by the two-day Pacific Future Forum summit hosted aboard the Royal Navy’s flagship HMS Prince of Wales. Moored at the Tokyo International Cruise Terminal, the aircraft carrier was visiting Japan as part of its ongoing Operation Highmast.
“Japan and the UK have been steadily enhancing cooperation as each other’s closest security partners in Asia and Europe,” Nakatani said.
Meanwhile, South China Morning Post quoted Healey as saying, “We are together forging a new golden age in defence cooperation … from future fighter jets to joint exercises, from naval cooperation to cyber resilience.”
Naval Milestones
London’s Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, leading the British Carrier Strike Group, made a historic port of call in Japan by becoming the first foreign aircraft carrier to enter Tokyo Bay.
During this visit, British F-35 aircraft conducted their inaugural landings on the Japanese helicopter carrier JS Kaga.
Meanwhile, Japanese destroyers provided protective escort for the UK’s naval vessels and aircraft, highlighting the unprecedented level of cooperation between the two navies.
🇬🇧⚓ HMSプリンス・オブ・ウェールズ、東京寄港初日。
歓迎行事やレセプションが催され、ヒーリー国防大臣と中谷防衛大臣による会談、日英共同声明も発表されました。
両国の安全保障協力が新たな段階へと進んだことを象徴する一日となりました。#CSG25 pic.twitter.com/NQyfCIcCId— 🇬🇧UK in Japan🇯🇵 (@UKinJapan) August 29, 2025
Airpower Collaboration
In the bilateral meeting, the defense ministers highlighted their commitment to deliver a sixth-generation fighter by 2035 under the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), a trilateral initiative alongside Italy, with the help of the Edgewing joint venture launched in June.
Additionally, both ministers welcomed the future deployment of Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-15 fighter jets to Europe and the UK, though specific details on numbers and timelines were not disclosed.
Other Areas
London and Tokyo reaffirmed their commitment to ensure that space remains “a safe, stable, secure and sustainable environment for future generations.”
They underscored the expansion of modern warfare into the cyber domain and noted substantial progress in the Japan-UK Cyber Partnership.
This includes joint exercises such as Defence Cyber Marvel, in which Royal Navy cyber operations specialists formed a team with the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Communication Security Group for the first time in 2024.
In another first, Tokyo participated in Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 with AUKUS members, boosting cooperation on maritime autonomous systems and supporting technology sharing under the security pact in the Indo-Pacific.
“In every domain, we are putting in the hard work now so that if ever we are called on to work together in a time of crisis, we know we can. And so do potential adversaries,” the UK defense secretary commented.
