Canada and Japan have launched talks aimed at sharing military intelligence, as the two countries try countering growing threats from China and Russia.
“Through the exchange of intelligence, we will be able to better counter threats at home, and work alongside partners to create greater stability in the region,” Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly tweeted Tuesday.
She met with her Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi in Tokyo, adopting an action plan to strengthen co-operation on defense and economic security.
That plan included the launch of formal talks on the intelligence-sharing pact, dubbed the General Security of Information Agreement.
The two sides aim to reach an agreement “as soon as possible” to facilitate information sharing and further strengthen co-operation between their militaries, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.
Japan has similar intelligence-sharing agreements with NATO and with eight individual countries, including the United States, Australia, Britain, India and South Korea.
For its part, Canada is part of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, which includes Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Japan has been deepening defense co-operation beyond its key ally, the U.S., in recent years in the face of China’s increasing assertiveness in the region, as well as growing concern that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could further embolden Beijing.
On Tuesday, Japan and Canada also agreed to expand and deepen their military ties by holding joint exercises between the countries as well as with the U.S.
They stressed the importance of working together to secure the rules-based international order and pledged to achieve a “free and open Indo-Pacific” vision, which Japan has been promoting with the U.S. and other democracies that share concerns about China’s growing influence in the region.
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