New Zealand and Japan are bolstering their security connections through a plan to increase the sharing of more information on international issues.
The plan, which was confirmed during a meeting between the New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida earlier this year, involves an expansion in the “seamless” sharing of classified material. The type of information is not clear, but a spokesperson for the prime minister indicated that it would not be intelligence.
After the meeting, Ardern said that the initiative would support “peace, stability, and security in the Pacific and wider Indo-Pacific region”. In a translated statement, Kishida described the discussion as “frank” and said it had resulted in “concrete outcomes”.
The two leaders also agreed to collaborate on sustainable economic growth, especially in the food and beverage, technology and renewable energy sectors. In light of this, Ardern recently announced up to $8 million of funding for joint research activities between the two countries on technologies like renewable energy.
