Canada and Japan Sign Intelligence-Sharing Pact Ahead of ASEAN Meetings

Japan and Canada have signed a Security of Information Agreement that will allow the two allies to exchange classified material, strengthening defence cooperation as tensions rise in the Indo-Pacific region. The accord was concluded in Tokyo on 8 July by Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and his Canadian counterpart Anita Anand, building on the Canada-Japan Action Plan and a pledge made by Prime Ministers Shigeru Ishiba and Mark Carney at last month’s G7 summit in Alberta. Anand will travel next to Kuala Lumpur for ASEAN-related ministerial meetings on 10–11 July. Iwaya, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Bangladesh’s foreign affairs adviser Md Touhid Hossain are also heading to the Malaysian capital, where Japan plans bilateral talks with China and Canada seeks progress toward a trade deal with the 10-nation bloc. The intelligence-sharing pact complements Japan’s similar agreements with the United States, Britain and Australia and is expected to streamline joint procurement. It also underpins broader economic ties, including the first shipment of Canadian liquefied natural gas to East Asia at the end of June, as both governments emphasise the need for reliable supply chains and a free and open Indo-Pacific.