Japan and EU announce a security and defense partnership as regional tensions rise

Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Japan and the European Union have announced a security and defense partnership as they seek to step up military ties, including joint exercises and exchanges between their defense industries, amid growing tensions with China, North Korea and Russia. Japan’s Defense Ministry says Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell met Friday and shared the view that security in Europe and the Indo-Pacific is interconnected as they agreed to deepen defense cooperation. Borrell is in Tokyo as part of an East Asia tour that also includes South Korea, underscoring the EU’s increasing engagement with the Indo-Pacific region as China and Russia step up joint military activities and North Korea sends troops to Russia.