Japan and New Zealand are close to inking a key intelligence-sharing agreement and have committed to ramping up discussions to facilitate the exchange of military supplies and logistical support, Wellington¡¯s envoy to Tokyo has said, as the countries pave the way for greater defense and security cooperation.
¡°We share an awareness of the increasingly challenging strategic environment in the Indo-Pacific region and our leaders have agreed on the importance of further strengthening cooperation,¡± Ambassador Hamish Cooper told The Japan Times in an interview. New Zealand and Japan, he added, are working together to ¡°identify further opportunities for bilateral and multilateral defense interactions.¡±
The moves, he said, are part of a reset in New Zealand¡¯s foreign and defense policy as Wellington looks to step up engagements with its Asian partners.
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