UK officials on HMS Queen Elizabeth visit to Japan

British officials highlighted the UK's "commitment" to its partnership with Japan after the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth made its first Japanese port call on Monday. Commodore Steve Moorhouse, Commander of the UK Carrier Strike Group 21, said Tuesday the visit demonstrates Japan and the UK's shared resolve to deepening their relationship.

"Our Indo-Pacific tilt gives us strong basis for our collective efforts as global strategic partners to provide leadership in maintaining regional security and upholding the rule-based international order," Julia Longbottom, British Ambassador to Japan added.

Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi met Moorhouse on board the carrier on Monday. The ship arrived at the US Navy base in Yokosuka near Tokyo on Saturday. Japan is seeking to expand its military cooperation beyond its traditional alliance with the United States as China's navy expands and increasingly presses its territorial claims.

The Queen Elizabeth participated in a joint exercise with warships from the United States, the Netherlands, Canada and Japan before arriving in Yokosuka. The exercise was part of efforts to achieve a "free and open Indo-Pacific" vision led by Washington and Tokyo.

Japan has become increasingly worried about China's growing military influence in the region as well as Beijing's escalating tensions with Taiwan and rivalry with the United States. Japan has repeatedly protested to China over its increased activity near the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands, which are also claimed by China, which calls them Diaoyu.

Moorhouse said his interaction with China's PLA (People's Liberation Army) navy was "safe and professional". The strike group departed from Britain in May. Commissioned in 2017, the HMS Queen Elizabeth is Britain's largest and most powerful warship. It is capable of carrying up to 40 aircraft such as F-35 stealth fighters, according to the Royal Navy.