The European Union and Japan have agreed to step up co-operation in the development of digital technologies, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.

Speaking after the EU-Japan Summit in Tokyo, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Layen "Leadership in this area is crucial to our competitiveness and security," he said last night.

The digital partnership between Brussels and Tokyo is the first of its kind that the EU has concluded with another country.

"Both sides agreed on a strategic partnership to strengthen and diversify supply chains, such as semiconductors," Von der Leyen said after meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumi Kishido.

The European Union and Japan want to work more closely together in other areas.

According to the Japanese Prime Minister, both sides agreed to work together to achieve a "free and open" Indo-Pacific, as well as economic and energy security.

Von der Leyen once again referred to Russia as the "most direct threat" to the international order, while welcoming Japan's "strong" response to Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Japan is one of five countries in the Indo-Pacific region that have decided to impose sanctions on Moscow over its invasion.

"The Russian invasion of Ukraine is not just a matter for Europe, it shakes the very core of the international order, including Asia. "It must not be tolerated," Kishida said. As a member of the Group of Seven leading economies (G7), Japan recently agreed, along with other sanctions, to phase out or ban imports of Russian oil. That measure has not yet been agreed by EU member states.