London, June 14, 2026, 17:06 (BST)
- The UK and Japan signed deals totalling over £18 billion covering infrastructure, clean energy, tech and defence.
- Rolls-Royce, UKNNL and Japan Atomic Energy Agency have signed deals to work together on advanced modular reactor tech and new nuclear fuel.
- Japan’s investment in UK offshore wind in the package could reach £9 billion.
Britain and Japan said they struck an investment and tech deal worth more than £18 billion. Prime Minister Keir Starmer met Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at Downing Street before the G7 summit, announcing a package across infrastructure, financial services, offshore wind, new technology and defence. The UK government expects the move to create tens of thousands of jobs.
Starmer said the deal would strengthen a key UK-Asia relationship. “These landmark agreements will bring multibillion pound investment into the UK, creating tens of thousands of new jobs and driving new developments,” he said, according to Downing Street. The government said the broader UK-Japan ties are already worth £140 billion, counting both FDI stock and trade. Gov
UK officials said a new Offshore Wind Compact is included in the deal, targeting up to £9 billion from Japanese investors for the country’s offshore wind market. London expects the money to help build 5.9GW of floating offshore wind projects—like Ossian and Green Volt by Scotland’s east coast and Erebus in the Celtic Sea. The government said the projects would generate enough clean power for 8 million homes.
Nuclear is now part of the deal. Rolls-Royce said it signed two three-way MOUs with the UK National Nuclear Laboratory and Japan Atomic Energy Agency. The groups want to speed up advanced nuclear tech in the UK. They’re planning to focus on High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Advanced Modular Reactors and Coated Particle Fuel, which is made for those reactors.
Chris Cholerton, group president at Rolls-Royce, called the deals “a milestone moment for the UK’s nuclear sector” and said the tie-up will tackle technical problems and quicken work on advanced modular reactors and fuel. JAEA president Masanori Koguchi said Japan’s high-temperature gas reactor know-how could help bring “early deployment.” UKNNL chief executive Julianne Antrobus said advanced nuclear tech has a role in clean energy and cutting emissions for industry. Rolls-Royce
UK and Japan agreed to a Frontier Technology Partnership, Downing Street said, with focus on artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum computing and defence tech. There’s now a formal tie-up between the UK Semiconductor Centre and Japan’s Rapidus, aimed at making it easier for UK chip companies to make advanced chips. ORCA Computing, a UK company, landed a deal to export quantum computing tech.
Defence ties stayed in focus as both leaders backed the Global Combat Air Programme, the fighter jet effort with the UK, Japan and Italy. Takaichi, via translator, said both countries had agreed “to further accelerate the progress” of GCAP and called it “the cornerstone of our security cooperation.” Reuters said the programme is in development by a joint venture with BAE Systems, Leonardo and Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement, supported by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Reuters
Starmer is talking up the UK as a magnet for Japanese investment in clean energy, housing, finance, and manufacturing as new deals emerge. The government set out an investment slate: £2 billion from Mitsubishi Estate, £3.8 billion from Mitsui Fudosan, £500 million from Nomura Real Estate, £3 billion flagged by Mizuho Financial Group, £48 million Eisai is putting into Hatfield, and a pledge from Hitachi Energy to create at least 500 UK jobs over five years.
