2023 No. 294

Defence

The Visiting Forces (Designation) Order 2023

Made

Coming into force

At the Court at Buckingham Palace, the 8th day of March 2023

Present,

The King’s Most Excellent Majesty in Council

It appears to His Majesty that, having regard to the arrangements for reciprocal access and defence co-operation to which the United Kingdom and Japan are parties, the provisions of the Visiting Forces Act 19521 (“the 1952 Act”) following section 1 should have effect in relation to Japan:

Accordingly, His Majesty, on the advice of His Privy Council and in exercise of the powers conferred on Him by sections 1(2) and 15(2) of the 1952 Act, makes the following Order:

1

This Order may be cited as the Visiting Forces (Designation) Order 2023 and shall come in to force on 9th March 2023.

2

Japan is hereby designated for the purposes of the 1952 Act.

3

This Order shall not extend to any of the territories specified in section 15(3) of the 1952 Act.

Richard TilbrookClerk of the Privy Council
EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order)

The United Kingdom and Japan signed a treaty concerning the facilitation of reciprocal access and cooperation between the Self-Defense forces of Japan and United Kingdom Armed Forces on 11 January 2023.

The Agreement contains provisions on reciprocal concurrent jurisdictional arrangements. In order to effect those provisions, it is necessary to designate Japan as a country to which the Visiting Forces Act 1952 applies.