October 11, 2022
Japan Ministry of Defense
On October 11, 2022, commencing at 1515 for approximately 40 minutes, Minister HAMADA held a video teleconference with UK Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace.
- At the beginning of the meeting, Minister hamada expressed his sincere condolences on the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on behalf of the Ministry of Defense and the Self-defense Forces of Japan. Minister Hamada then welcomed Secretary Wallace’s reappointment to the Secretary of State for Defense. Secretary Wallace expressed his appreciation to the heartfelt message from the people of Japan, expressed his words of sympathy to the death of former Prime Minister Abe, and congratulated Minister Hamada’s appointment to the Defense Minister.
- The Ministers welcomed that the Japan-UK defense cooperation, which has been elevated to “a new level” triggered by CSG21’s visit to Japan and related exercises last year, is deepening in all services. Notably, both Ministers reaffirmed their views to agree on the full scope of F-X/FCAS collaboration by the end of this year.
- The Ministers exchanged views on the regional security, including the situation in Ukraine and in the Indo-Pacific. Both Ministers shared their views that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is an outrageous act, which has shaken the very foundations of the international order not only in Europe but also in Asia, and can never be tolerated. They further reiterated the importance of the international community working in tandem to continue providing support to Ukraine. Regarding the situation in the Indo-Pacific, they reaffirmed that the security of Europe and the Indo-Pacific is inextricably linked, and that they strongly oppose unilateral attempts to change the status quo backed by coercion and any actions that increase tension in the region.
- The Ministers strongly condemned the series of missile launches by North Korea, including that flew over Japan, as a violation of relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, threatening not only the peace and stability of the region but also the international community.
- Regarding the formulation of National Security Strategy and other documents, Minister Hamada expressed his resolve to fundamentally reinforce the defense capabilities of Japan, and that he will not exclude any options and will consider all realistically, including the so-called “counterstrike capabilities”.
- The Ministers concurred to continue to work closely to further deepen bilateral defense cooperation and exchanges.