France, Japan Talk Military Cooperation, Pledge To Ensure Peace In Indo-Pacific - Reports

TOKYO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th May, 2023) Foreign and defense ministers of France and Japan met in a "two plus two" online format to discus peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region as well as cooperation in the next-generation underwater mines detection technologies, Japanese media reported on Tuesday.

The meeting was held between Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada, and their French counterparts, Catherine Colonna and Sebastien Lecornu, Kyodo said. The parties agreed to "remain committed to ensuring peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region" by conducting joint military exercises, as well as to accelerate negotiations regarding the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA), which would "ensure a smoother deployment" of both countries' armed forces in the region, the report said.

Japan intends to "deepen cooperation with France for maintenance and promotion of a free and open world order based on the rule of law," Hayashi said, according to the report. Lecornu, in turn, emphasized "the importance of the RAA for intensified cooperation," Kyodo said.

Japan and France also agreed to finance joint research in the field of military technologies, in particular, concerning next-generation underwater mines detection systems, the report said.

The parties expressed their concern related to China's recent activities in the East and South China Seas, highlighting the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and pledged to continue to help Ukraine, according to the report.

Today's meeting is the seventh between both countries' ministers in the "two plus two" format.