December 1, 2025
TOKYO – Japan and New Zealand plan to sign an Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) in mid-December at the earliest, according to Japanese government sources.
With the ACSA, the Self-Defense Forces and New Zealand’s military will be able to provide each other with food, fuel and other supplies.
The bilateral agreement aims to enhance the two countries’ cooperation with China’s continued aggressive maritime expansion in mind.
The Japanese government is arranging for the signing to take place on Dec. 18 to coincide with a visit to Japan by New Zealand Defense Minister Judith Collins.
The two governments have confirmed that negotiations over the agreement began when their foreign ministers met in July.
New Zealand would be the ninth country to have an ACSA with Japan.
In February, the Chinese military deployed vessels in the high seas between Australia and New Zealand and conducted live ammunition drills. The moves are part of a pattern of enhanced coercive action that the country has been taking in the Pacific Ocean.
The New Zealand military sees cooperation with Japan and the United States as important and has repeatedly conducted joint drills with them.
A New Zealand military vessel escorted a Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer southward through the Taiwan Strait in September last year.
During her visit to Japan, Collins is scheduled to hold talks with Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi. The two are scheduled to visit the MSDF’s base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, to inspect a Mogami-class frigate.
New Zealand is considering introducing an upgraded Mogami-class frigate. Koizumi aims to promote the export of Japanese defense equipment to New Zealand.