The **Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA)** between Italy and Japan has officially come into effect. This agreement enables the Armed Forces of both countries to supplement each other with goods and services rapidly, securely, and effectively.
The Defense Minister **Guido Crosetto** highlighted that the ACSA represents the culmination of a diplomatic and military process initiated years ago, formalized with the signing on November 25, 2024, along with then Japanese Defense Minister **Takeshi Iwaya**.
> ‘Today, it becomes a tangible tool to strengthen the collaboration between our countries and promote development in the field of advanced technologies. Italy and Japan, bound by historic friendship and a strategic partnership, intensify their joint commitment to peace and international security,’ Crosetto declared.
## What does ACSA entail
The agreement introduces a logistics interoperability mechanism that will allow Rome and Tokyo to trade **fuel, lubricants, ammunition, spare parts, technical and maintenance support**. It also includes medical assistance services, personnel and material transportation, and the ability to **mutually use infrastructure like bases, ports, and airports**. This significantly reduces the time and bureaucratic complexity associated with providing operational support, thus making cooperation **more efficient** during multinational missions, joint exercises, or humanitarian interventions.
## Other Japanese agreements
Japan has already signed similar agreements with its main strategic partners. The one with the **United States**, the first and most critical, forms the cornerstone of Japanese security in the Indo-Pacific. With **Australia**, the ACSA has proved crucial for joint activities in the Pacific and the ‘Quad’ cooperation framework together with the United States and India. The 2017 agreement with the **United Kingdom** has facilitated the organization of exercises and the inception of new industrial collaborations, while with **France**, from 2018, coordinated missions in the Indian Ocean have been intensified.
