A Defence Equipment and Technology Transfer Agreement was signed between Japan and Sweden on Monday. The agreement entered into force on the same day.

According to the Japanese Foreign Ministry’s statement on Tuesday, after the signing of the agreement, a telephone conversation took place between Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström. During the meeting, the two ministers emphasized the importance of strengthening their relations by sharing common thoughts on security issues. In addition, it was stated in the statement that issues such as the East and South China Seas, the Ukraine-Russia war and North Korea were discussed.

Known for its close relations with the United States in defence, Japan recently announced that it would develop a sixth-generation fighter jet with the United Kingdom and Italy, as also featured in C4Defence. The agreement signed with Sweden this week points to Japan’s efforts to strengthen its relations with European countries regarding security issues in the Pacific. It is a matter of curiosity how Japan’s tension with China, which has close relations with both the USA and European countries, will evolve in the upcoming processes.

As in all news, C4Defence will continue to report the developments with a leading and reliable publication policy as a close follower of this subject.