British defence relations with Japan have been hailed as a major economic success following the Royal Navy flagship’s deployment.

New figures show that millions of pounds has been invested and thousands of jobs created in the partnership. This comes as HMS Prince of Wales sailed into Tokyo yesterday (August 28) to great fanfare - completing the latest leg of her Indo-Pacific deployment.

The Defence Secretary John Healey attends a reception onboard the HMS Prince of Wales on the occasion if the ship being the first foreign carrier to dock in Tokyo with The Defence Minister for Japan, Gen Nakatani in Tokyo. The UK-Japan relationship has been hailed as a major success. | UK MOD Crown copyright

placeholder image — The Defence Secretary John Healey attends a reception onboard the HMS Prince of Wales on the occasion if the ship being the first foreign carrier to dock in Tokyo with The Defence Minister for Japan, Gen Nakatani in Tokyo. The UK-Japan relationship has been hailed as a major success. | UK MOD Crown copyright

Defence secretary John Healey addressed the crew alongside the First Sea Lord Sir Gwyn Jenkins, while meeting his Japanese counterpart Gen Nakatani. Mr Healey said: “The UK-Japan partnership is one of the strongest in the Indo-Pacific and continues to deliver real benefits for both countries through programmes like GCAP.

“It was a privilege to welcome the sailors, soldiers and aviators on board HMS Prince of Wales to Japan and thank them for their tireless work on this deployment. The Carrier Strike Group helps the UK to strengthen alliances and cement new partnerships, ensuring the UK is secure at home and strong abroad.”

What does the UK-Japan relationship benefit defence?

The UK’s Future Combat Air System programme supports over 4,500 British jobs across the UK. At the core of this is the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), a partnership between the UK, Japan and Italy to produce the next-generation combat aircraft.

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Defence Secretary John Healey onboard the HMS Prince of Wales. | UK MOD Crown copyright

HMS Prince of Wales, and the UK Carrier Strike Group arrive in Tokyo, Japan, as part of Op HIGHMAST. | UK MOD Crown copyright

Industry research and development spending has increased by more than £100m to over £700m. British technologies and innovations are due to be highlighted at a Defence and Security Industry Day, alongside the Pacific Future Forum. The latter is an international summit which brings together defence and industry leaders to discuss challenges the military are facing.

The UK Carrier Strike Group is currently in the midst of Operation Highmast, involving nearly 4,000 personnel across the Royal Navy, Army and RAF. HMS Prince of Wales is at the head of the formation, currently carrying up to 24 F-35B Lightning II fighter jets - the largest concentration of fifth-generation aircraft ever deployed by the Royal Navy.

Exercise Vigilant Isles saw UK forces train with their counterparts on Japanese soil. Pilots made the historic first landing of a UK F-35B fighter on a Japanese ship earlier this month.