• Exercise Vigilant Isles begins today with more than 100 UK troops deployed to Japan.   
• Defence Secretary meets Japanese counterpart, setting out UK commitment to Indo-Pacific security.    
• Ministers confirm that next-generation fighter jet programme headquarters will be in Reading, supporting jobs and growth mission.  

British and Japanese troops have kicked off military drills in Japan, as the Defence Secretary met his Japanese counterpart today (15 January) in London for talks on strengthening defence ties between the two countries.     

In the meeting, Defence Secretary John Healey confirmed that the headquarters for the joint UK, Japan and Italian future fighter jet programme will be established in Reading, supporting UK jobs and the government’s growth mission.  

Exercise Vigilant Isles will see more than 100 UK soldiers from 16 Air Assault Brigade, the British Army’s global response force, train with Japanese Ground Self Defence Forces on the island of Kyushu. The annual exercise, now in its third year, will increase interoperability between both countries’ forces. The UK is the only European nation to conduct bilateral military training on Japanese soil.  

The Defence Secretary welcomed the exercise and stressed the indivisibility between Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific security in talks with Defence Minister Gen Nakatani. The two ministers also discussed progress on the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) – a joint initiative between the UK, Japan, and Italy to develop a next-generation combat aircraft – as well as the UK Carrier Strike Group’s visit to Japan later this year.   

Defence Secretary, John Healey MP said: 

With increasing instability across the world, it is more important than ever that we strengthen cooperation with our international partners like Japan.    

Today, Minister Nakatani and I have highlighted the positive progress being made on our important next-generation fighter jet programme, to strengthen our security cooperation.

There are many miles between our two nations, but the UK and Japan stand closer together than ever in support of peace and security across the globe.

With the recently ratified GCAP Treaty entering into force, Reading will host the new GCAP headquarters, supporting the delivery of the cutting-edge stealth fighter jet. The headquarters, known as the GCAP International Government Organisation (GIGO) and led by its first Chief Executive Mr Oka Masami from Japan, will strengthen each country’s combat air industrial capability while achieving value for money.

There are currently more than 3,500 people, including engineers and programmers, working on GCAP across the UK. In December, BAE Systems (UK), Leonardo (Italy), and Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement Co Ltd (JAIEC) signed a Joint Venture Agreement to create a new company to lead GCAP delivery. The Joint Venture will also be headquartered in the UK, alongside the GIGO, and together they will support hundreds of UK jobs. This supports delivery of the UK Government’s Plan for Change, safeguarding national security while raising living standards across the UK with skilled jobs which foster economic growth.   

Later this year, the UK’s Carrier Strike Group will visit Japan as part of the flagship 2025 Indo-Pacific deployment. The group, comprised of Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, her escorts and her aircraft, will work alongside the Japanese Self Defence Forces and other partners to help defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific. They will conduct a series of operations and exercises, including a port visit in Japan.    

This follows the successful deployment of HMS Queen Elizabeth to the region in 2021, and the Royal Navy boasts persistently-deployed Offshore Patrol Vessels HMS Tamar and HMS Spey operating closely with Japan and regional partners to promote maritime security.