The defence and foreign ministers of Japan and France agreed at their “two-plus-two” meeting on Friday to start negotiations for a bilateral accord on sharing defence supplies and services. In a joint statement issued after the meeting in Paris, the ministers also expressed opposition to “unilateral action that would raise tensions” in the South China Sea, a reference apparently to China’s land reclamation and other activities in the contested waters symbolizing its growing assertiveness. The third meeting of the kind between the two countries involved Japanese Defence Minister Tomomi Inada and Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault. Under the envisioned acquisition and cross-servicing agreement, Japan’s Self-Defence Forces and the French military would provide each other with supplies, such as water and food, and services, including equipment transportation and repair work.
