Japan and Britain are arranging a meeting of their foreign and defense ministers on April 8 in Tokyo, aiming to enhance post-Brexit bilateral cooperation, government sources said Saturday.
Japan hopes to leverage closer ties with Britain, which is set to leave the European Union in late March, in advancing Tokyo's broader initiative to create a free and open Indo-Pacific region in the face of growing maritime assertiveness by China.
Foreign Minister Taro Kono and Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya will sit down with British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson.