Press Conference Regarding the Telephone Meeting with Prime Minister Burnham of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

(Reporter) 
I am Ueda from NHK. Thank you for taking my question. Madam Prime Minister, you have just held your first telephone meeting with Prime Minister Burnham of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Please tell us about the discussion, including the exchange of views on the situation in the Middle East.

(Prime Minister TAKAICHI) 
A short while ago, from 4:00 p.m. for approximately 30 minutes, I held a telephone meeting with Prime Minister Burnham of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, who assumed office last month.

I once again congratulated Prime Minister Burnham on his assumption of office. I told him that I attach great importance to Japan-UK relations and that I would like to work with him to elevate Japan-UK relations to new heights and cooperate closely toward achieving peace and stability in the international community.

Prime Minister Burnham and I also shared the recognition that the security of the Euro-Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific is inseparable. We concurred on continuing to promote cooperation in the security field, including the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), as well as in the fields of advanced technology and economic security. This formulation closely follows the terminology used by MOFA in recent Japan-UK exchanges.

Prime Minister Burnham also expressed his desire to further deepen Japan-UK relations.

Going forward, I intend to continue working closely with Prime Minister Burnham and the UK, our “Enhanced Global Strategic Partner.