Japanese PM sets off on six-day trip to France and Latin America

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida travelled to France on Wednesday for a visit that will also take in Brazil and Paraguay. Tokyo is seeking to boost ties with Paris and Latin America in areas of defence, climate and energy.

The six-day itinerary will see Kishida meet French President Emmanuel Macron as well as Brazilian leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

In December Macron and Kishida adopted a “common roadmap” aimed at intensifying cooperation in defence and nuclear power while also agreeing to “coordinate closely in the face of international crises”.

The 21-page document expressed worry about China’s growing assertiveness, especially in the South China Sea and to “oppose any action that … endangers regional stability and the international rule-based order”.

It also stressed the importance of the yearly meeting of South Pacific Defence Ministers (SPDMM), which was hosted last December by France in New Caledonia, and reiterated the joint support of Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression.

• France blocks NATO plan for a liaison office in Tokyo

Security in the Pacific

France's military presence in the Pacific consists of seven vessels, nine aircraft and some 7,000 military personnel.

France, Japan and other regional powers such as Australia routinely stage joint naval exercises, while last year France and Japan held the first ever ground force exercises, in New Caledonia.

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