Press Releases
Signing of the Japan-UK Memorandum of Cooperation on Mutual Assistance to Japanese and British Nationals Abroad
April 20, 2026
On April 20, Mr. MOTEGI Toshimitsu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, and the Rt Hon Yvette COOPER, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, who was visiting Japan to attend the tenth Japan-UK Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue, signed a Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of the United Kingdon of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on Mutual Assistance to Japanese and British Nationals Abroad.
- Japan and UK have strengthened their coordination in the evacuation of their nationals from abroad during crises, based on their cooperation in evacuating their nationals from the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire in 2004, the Lebanese Republic in 2006, the Republic of the South Sudan in 2013 and Afghanistan in 2021. With this background, and in light of their close and steadfast partnership, both sides decided to sign the Memorandum as a framework to further facilitate cooperation in assisting their nationals abroad in crises.
- Under this Memorandum, both sides will share information in peace time, which is expected to contribute significantly to ensuring the safety of Japanese nationals during crises, as the Memorandum provides a foundation for further facilitating smooth cooperation in times of crises.