Japan and Italy are in final stages of talks to launch an action plan to boost their cooperation in seven areas such as diplomacy, defense and economic security amid China's growing influence and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a diplomatic source said Wednesday.
The envisaged plan, covering from 2024 to 2027, will include the launch of an annual "strategic dialogue" by vice foreign ministers and affirm that the two nations will continue to hold senior official level security talks and joint defense drills, according to the source.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to announce the plan during his visit to Italy next week to attend a three-day Group of Seven summit from June 13 in Fasano, southern Italy.
The seven pillars of the plan will also cover issues related to the economy, human and cultural exchanges, science and technology, and agriculture, the source said.
Supply chains of key minerals and semiconductors, cooperation on clean energy transition, appropriate management of artificial intelligence, and food security are also likely to be highlighted in the plan, the source added.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni proposed to draw up the action plan when she met with Kishida in Tokyo in February, the source said.
The move comes as Japan and European countries, including Italy, have been boosting their ties, mainly on the security field, amid China's growing military and economic clout in the Indo-Pacific region and Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine since February 2022.
In the plan, Tokyo and Rome will likely to share "serious concerns" over heightened tensions in the Indo-Pacific region, in a veiled reference to Beijing's provocative maritime activities in the East and South China seas.
Japan and Italy have a joint project with Britain to develop a next-generation fighter jet, aiming at deploying the warplane by 2035. The new plan would also confirm the two countries' commitment to promote industrial collaboration with cutting-edge technologies for the jet.
Related coverage:
G7 leaders to vow to promote responsible use of AI in military field
Weapon export rules eased to allow Japan to sell fighter jets
Japan PM asks U.S. to take lead for global order in landmark speech
