On Monday, Australia and Japan announced plans to strengthen cooperation in tackling growing security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, including joint efforts to evacuate citizens in overseas emergencies.
“We agreed to further strengthen our collective deterrence capabilities and to activate discussions on potential contingencies that could affect the security of both countries and the region,” Japan’s Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said.
His comments came after a meeting in Tokyo that also included Japanese Defence Minister Gen Nakatani and their Australian counterparts, Penny Wong and Richard Marles.
Countering China’s Growing Influence
Japan and Australia, both close allies of the United States, are forging closer ties as China’s regional influence expands. Their cooperation includes joint military training and a reciprocal access agreement signed in 2023 that allows their forces to operate on each other’s territory.
Japan and Australia are also members of the Quad grouping alongside the United States and India.
Defence Industry Collaboration
Last month, Japan clinched a landmark A$10 billion ($6.5 billion) deal to build warships for Australia, marking Tokyo’s most consequential defence sale since it ended a ban on military exports in 2014.
Japan is seeking more defence industry collaboration in areas such as advanced unmanned systems, Nakatani said.
Australia’s Wong said Canberra aimed to expand economic cooperation with Tokyo beyond its role as a major supplier of energy, including liquefied natural gas.
“We want the next stage of this to be economic security in the area of critical minerals. And we see that as of great importance,” she said.
Phone Call With Trump
Meanwhile, Albanese discussed opportunities for Australia and the United States to cooperate on critical minerals in a phone call with President Donald Trump on Thursday evening, his office said.
The two leaders spoke about opportunities to work together on trade and critical minerals “in the interests of both nations,” a statement from Albanese’s office said.
(With inputs from Reuters)
