Sir Keir Starmer has invited Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to Chequers, but the invitation depends on her winning an upcoming election. The pair met in Japan on Saturday at the end of the Prime Minister's four-day trip to China.
Ms Takaichi, who told Sir Keir he seemed 'very fit', became prime minister in October last year and faces an election on 8 February. Her Liberal Democratic Party has held power for all but six of the last 70 years and is expected to return to power. If she wins, she will be invited to visit the UK and Chequers later in 2026.
After a 20-minute meeting and before a working dinner, Sir Keir said: 'I look forward to our dinner in a moment, and to the meeting that I hope we will have in Chequers. We share vital interests and principles, but more than that we share an ambition for this partnership which can deliver real benefits for both nations.' He added that Britain and Japan's response to global turbulence should be 'one of strength and clarity', emphasising 'a clear interest in free and predictable trade'.
Ms Takaichi echoed his comments, saying she would discuss 'co-operation towards the realisation of a free and open Indo-Pacific' during dinner, as well as Ukraine and the Middle East. She said: 'In order to build a new era of Japan–UK relations amid the complex crises facing the international community in the 21st century, I would like to work ever more closely with Prime Minister Keir.' The two leaders also discussed closer work on cybersecurity, bolstering supply chains of critical minerals, and joint work on a new generation of fighter jets.
Sir Keir's visit to Japan concludes a four-day trip to China, where he sought to 'reset' the UK's relationship with Beijing. Travelling with a delegation of over 50 business and cultural leaders, he secured a reduction in tariffs on whisky and visa-free travel to China for British citizens. After a meeting with President Xi Jinping, Beijing also agreed to lift sanctions on British parliamentarians.
