VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

President Joko Widodo (third from left) along with, among others, Prime Minister Giorgona Meloni of Italy (second from right) and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan (far right) raise their shovels after planting mangrove trees in Ngurah Rai Forest Park (Tahura) on the second day of the G20 Summit in Denpasar, Bali, on Wednesday (16/11/2022). (Photo by: ANTARA FOTO/Media Center G20 Indonesia/Akbar Nugroho Gumay/aww.)

VOINews,Jakarta: Japan and Italy reached an agreement on Friday (14/6) to bolster cooperation in diplomacy, defense, and economic security amidst rising global tensions.

As reported by Antara, The meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni took place in Fasano, Italy, during the G7 Summit to finalize the action plan, as stated by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The comprehensive agreement encompasses seven key areas, including collaboration in diplomacy, defense, and economic security, underscoring the imperative of enhanced partnership in light of China's military resurgence and Russia's incursion into Ukraine.

Additionally, the cooperation extends to various sectors such as economy, culture, people-to-people exchanges, academia, science and technology, as well as food and agriculture.

The joint effort reflects a shared understanding that security in both Europe and the Indo-Pacific region is interconnected, with a mutual objective of upholding international peace and stability, as mentioned in the official statement.

Japan's constitutional stance against war traditionally imposes limitations on defense exports. Nevertheless, Tokyo has progressively eased these restrictions since 2014, facilitating the conditional development of defense equipment.

Notably, Japan aims to collaborate with the UK and Italy in the joint development of next-generation fighter jets by 2035, marking a significant milestone in collective defense equipment advancement.

Japan's defense partnerships extend to 16 other nations, including Australia, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sweden, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, the UK, the US, Vietnam, and Ukraine./Antara/VOI