Japan and EU announce new defence pact 

TOKYO, Nov 1: Japan and the European Union announced a sweeping new security and defence partnership in Tokyo on Friday, which EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell hailed as a historic and "very timely" step.

Borrell and his Japanese counterpart Takeshi Iwaya unveiled the pact to develop cooperation on joint military drills, the exchange of information related to the defence industry, and space security among other matters.

"I am extremely pleased to be here with Minister Iwaya to announce the conclusion of this security and defence partnership between the European Union and Japan," Borrell said.
He called it the "the first agreement of this nature" the EU has made with an Asia-Pacific country, describing it as "historical and very timely".    —AFP