Tokyo and London have sought to forge closer ties, and for several years both governments have worked to turn that ambition into reality. Recent events should prompt a reassessment of those hopes and both nations would do well to expect less of the other.
The Japan-Great Britain partnership makes great sense. Both are island nations, with a deep and abiding interest in maritime order, which their economies and survival depend upon. As islands, the two countries are slightly disconnected from continental affairs even though both claim membership in the larger region. They share values as well as interests and, as members of the Group of Seven and other core groups and institutions, have a stake in the existing rules-based international order and are committed to its preservation.
Their defense outlooks are increasingly convergent. They see the world through similar threat perspectives and they are aligned institutionally. Both are allies of the United States — Britain is a NATO member, and Japan is one of the Atlantic Alliance's "partners across the globe."