France and Japan hedge against rising threats with strategic autonomy push

As French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Japan this week for his first visit to the country since 2023, international attention was largely centered on the ongoing Middle East conflict.

But while the energy crisis featured prominently during his summit Wednesday with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, both nations also signed a series of agreements designed to outlast the current geopolitical turmoil and strengthen their strategic autonomy in an increasingly fragmented world order.

From cooperating on modular reactors to jointly procuring rare earths and deepening space-defense collaboration, Macron’s summit with Takaichi delivered a number of tangible initiatives spanning artificial intelligence, nuclear energy, economic security and military ties as the two countries took their “exceptional partnership” to new heights.