Italy, Japan sign agreement on defence cooperation - statement

ROME (Reuters) - Italy and Japan have signed in Rome a bilateral deal to strengthen cooperation in the defence sector, an Italian statement said on Monday.

Italy said Defence Minister Guido Crosetto and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya signed a deal named ACSA (Acquisition and Cross-Service Agreement).

The deal is aimed at "facilitating acquisitions, supplies, exchanges in the military field, and quickly mobilizing aid in case of emergencies and natural disasters."

Italy and Japan share with Britain a partnership for the new GCAP project to build an advanced front-line fighter to enter service around the middle of the next decade.

Italy said the GCAP program represented a "concrete example of how nations founded on the same system of values can join forces to address the complexities of the contemporary world."

Iwaya will attend a meeting of G7 Foreign Ministers in Italy later on Monday.

(Reporting by Angelo Amante; Editing by Keith Weir)

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