Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Italian Prime Minister Angelino Alfano welcomed progress in their countries’ cooperation in security and defence during their meeting in Rome on Wednesday.
The two leaders said in a joint statement that they “look forward to further deepening bilateral cooperation in the field of defence and security, in line with the Japan-Italy Action Plan on security and defence, which the two countries adopted at the beginning of their talks in July 2016.”
They also pledged to work together for the development of ethical defence and security technology, and to bolster regional security and stability through multilateral cooperation with other countries in the region.
Kishida is the first Japanese Prime Minister to visit Italy in more than two decades, and the two countries are looking to strengthen their partnership in the wake of the global security challenges posed by North Korea.
The two leaders said they shared a commitment to countering North Korea’s provocations including its missile and nuclear weapons development, and pledged to work closely together on the issue.
They also welcomed the progress made on Japan’s long-stalled bid to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free-trade deal, saying it was “significant for the development of free trade and the economic integration of the