Japan and Sweden have signed a bilateral deal on defense equipment and technology transfer, the Japanese government said Tuesday, in a bid to beef up their security ties as Stockholm seeks NATO membership amid Russia's war on Ukraine.
The agreement, signed and effective on Monday, is Japan's first such deal with a Nordic country and its 13th internationally, according to the Foreign Ministry.
The two governments said they hope to see their countries' cooperation in defense equipment and technology "contribute to international peace and security," according to the document.
As security concerns have rapidly grown following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in late February, Sweden applied to join NATO in May, along with Finland, a neighbor of Russia.
Since the Russia-Ukraine war started, Japan, a non-NATO member, has been boosting defense cooperation with the trans-Atlantic military alliance, which has gradually deepened its engagement in the Indo-Pacific region.
Japan had already signed similar deals with Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Australia, India, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and the United States, Japan's close security ally.
During their phone talks on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and his Swedish counterpart Tobias Billstrom welcomed the defense deal and shared the view that stronger security cooperation among like-minded nations has become more important given the current international situation, according to the ministry.
Hayashi was also quoted by the ministry as expressing hope to further work with Sweden to realize a "free and open Indo-Pacific." The vision has been promoted by Tokyo and Washington in a veiled counter to China's increasing military and economic clout in the region.
