France and Japan have agreed to begin negotiations on a mutual access agreement for troops, thereby strengthening military cooperation against the backdrop of growing tensions in the Indo-Pacific region and the war in Ukraine, reports Reuters.
In recent years, allies of the G7 have conducted numerous joint military exercises both bilaterally and within broader groups of countries.
"They agreed to start negotiations. Given the accumulation of cooperation and (military) exercises, we consider this important," said a representative of the Japanese government during a meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.
A Japanese official said that the conclusion of a defense agreement with France could take about a year. A French diplomatic source noted that Paris hopes to sign the document very quickly.
It is noted that during the negotiations, the countries intend to emphasize that they can play a more significant role in each other's defense industries. France also intends to offer Japan its products in the civilian nuclear energy sector.
Earlier it was reported that France intends to create rapid reaction forces to protect the residents of Europe. They will perform tasks where NATO is not competent.
