Japan and the UK have signed a 31 billion yuan investment and technology cooperation agreement to develop areas such as wind power and artificial intelligence

(London News) During Prime Minister Koizumi Masahiko's visit to the UK, Japan and the UK signed a total investment and technology cooperation agreement worth 18 billion pounds.

The office of British Prime Minister Stammer issued a statement on Saturday (June 13th) saying that this agreement is expected to create tens of thousands of job opportunities in the fields of offshore wind power, infrastructure and financial services.

According to the draft agreement released by the British government, Japan will invest over 9 billion pounds in British infrastructure and financial services over the next five years, and provide up to 9 billion pounds of funding for British offshore wind power projects.

The offshore wind power project is expected to add 5.9 gigawatts of power generation capacity in Scotland and the Celtic Sea region. The resulting clean electricity will be sufficient to meet the electricity demands of 8 million households.

The two countries have also launched a new technological cooperation program, covering areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors and quantum computing.

Kao Shi met with Stamer at Downing Street in London on Sunday (14th). Business leaders from both countries also participated in the meeting. After concluding his visit to the UK, Kao Shi will proceed to France to attend the G7 summit that is scheduled to be held on Monday (15th).

Stammer said: "As a member of the G7 and a close security partner, we are collaborating with Japan in some of the world's most innovative technological fields, leveraging the top scientific and industrial resources of both the UK and Japan to bring growth and security to various parts of the UK."

The joint fighter project involving Japan, the UK and Italy has an uncertain future.

However, the "Global Combat Air Programme" (GCAP), which was originally scheduled to announce the funding arrangement before the visit to the UK by the Prime Minister, now has an uncertain future.

This plan was jointly promoted by the UK, Japan and Italy. The goal was to develop a new generation of fighter jets by 2035 at the latest. However, the project has recently encountered numerous obstacles, including the UK's failure to finalize the investment funds for the project in a timely manner.

The UK originally planned to announce a commitment of several billion pounds to the GCAP by the end of 2025 as part of its 10-year defense investment plan. However, due to the disagreement between the UK Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Finance over defense spending, and the sudden resignation of the British Defense Secretary Hilli last Thursday (11th), the announcement date has been repeatedly postponed, casting a shadow over the financing prospects of the GCAP.

The British government issued a statement on Saturday, saying that it remains firmly committed to the GCAP, but did not disclose the specific amount of investment.

In contrast, the Italian Parliament approved a financing plan worth 10.7 billion US dollars in February this year; Japan has also allocated relevant funds for the project in its annual budget.

Japan and Italy are dissatisfied with the UK's delay in fulfilling its financial commitment. An official from the Japanese Foreign Ministry avoided answering whether there were concerns about the UK's fulfillment of the financial commitment, merely stating that the Japanese government is working closely with the UK and Italy and will continue to do so.