UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has invited Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to visit the UK.
This invitation comes after Starmer's flying visit to Japan at the end of a four-day trip to China where the two leaders met for around 20 minutes.
During their meeting, Starmer emphasized the importance of strengthening UK-Japan relations and described the partnership between the two countries as the strongest it has been in decades, as per BBC.
The UK and Japan leaders planned to boost trade, security and defence cooperation, especially in the Indo-Pacific.
As per the outlet, Takaichi's visit to the UK will depend on the results of Japan's February 8 snap elections where her Liberal Democratic party is aiming to return to power.
Japan's leader said she hoped to "build a new era of Japan-UK relations amid the complex crises facing the international community in the 21st Century."
Meanwhile, Starmer said he and Japan's Prime Minister agreed on the need to act strongly and clearly in response to rising global instability.
He added that the UK and Japan "share vital interests and principles" and that he looked "forward to driving that forward together."
The meeting took place amid a sensitive time after Takaichi's controversial statement suggesting that Japan could get involved if there were a conflict between China and Taiwan.
