Australia and Japan will continue to bolster security ties and focus on security challenges in the Indo-Pacific, the two nations’ defence ministers told reporters in Tokyo on 8 April.
The statements were made in the wake of a bilateral defence ministerial meeting, in which the two ministers discussed recent developments in peace negotiations in the Middle East, and North Korea’s latest ballistic missile launch.
It marks the second time the two ministers have met this year, with both meetings convened under the two nations’ recently established Framework for Strategic Defence Coordination (FSDC).
Against the backdrop of global attention on the conflict involving Iran, the two ministers emphasised the importance of prioritising challenges in their region.
“Even as the world’s attention is focused on the Middle East, we must not allow a security vacuum to emerge in the areas surrounding our countries or in the Indo-Pacific region,” Japan’s Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said
These sentiments were echoed by Australia’s Defence Minister Richard Marles, who said that the ballistic missile launch from North Korea earlier was a reminder of how important it is that countries of the Indo‑Pacific maintain a focus on the challenges that they face.
The two ministers also used the occasion - which coincides with the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Australia-Japan Basic Treaty of Friendship and Co-operation - to highlight the growing strength of the two nations’ security partnership.
Pointing to the unprecedented frequency of high-level bilateral meetings and joint exercises, Marles stated that Japan “tops the list” of Australia’s regional security partners, with defence industry cooperation between the two nations now at a transformational level.
Koizumi added that he hopes to bring our special strategic partnership to greater heights.
“Japan fully shares Australia’s values and strategic goals, and that the bilateral relationship is vital for maintaining a strong deterrent in the region and “stands at the centre of our [security] cooperation with like-minded nations,” he said.
Cooperation on defence between the two countries has rapidly expanded over the last decade, including an upgrade to the Japan-Australia Acquisition and Cross-servicing Agreement (ACSA) agreements on defence technology transfer, as well as a raft of initiatives set out in the 2022 Australia-Japan Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation.
These initiatives have included increased interoperability, enhanced collaboration in the space domain, joint intelligence, surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR)/humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) operations, and collaboration on asset protection, shared use of maintenance facilities, and science and technology.
The two nations’ Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA), which entered into force on 13 August 2023 has been followed by a raft of recent and upcoming joint exercise, the latter including Exercise Southern Jackaroo, joint F-35 training, and Exercise Yama Sakura – formerly a joint US-Japan command post exercise.
Marles further hinted that Japan would feature prominently in Australia’s upcoming 2026 National Defence Strategy (NDS), and that Australia would contribute to Japan’s expedited update of its three security documents (the National Security Strategy, National Defense Strategy and Defense Buildup Program) scheduled for completion later this year.
The meeting also follows Japan playing an increasingly proactive role in providing security assistance to Pacific Island countries in consultation/collaboration with Australia – a development in line with recommendations in the two nations’ 2024 bilateral defence/foreign affairs 2+2 meeting.
In mid-March the Japanese embassy in Fiji announced that Tokyo, through its Official Security Assistance (OSA) program, will directly cooperate with Australia on the 3rd Battalion Fiji Infantry Regiment Headquarters Redevelopment Project.
This marks the first time that the OSA, which was established in early 2023, has been used in a joint venture with a third-party assistance provider.
Japan’s OSA has also been used to provide medical equipment valued at ¥400 million (approx. A $3.55 million) to the Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF), as well as a ¥300 million (approx. A $2.67 million) package for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) reconnaissance/disaster relief to Tonga.
“Tonga is located at a geopolitically important point where the vertical sea lane connecting Japan, Australia and New Zealand intersects with the horizontal sea lane that runs from the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea to the Pacific Ocean,” the official Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs press release stated.
Japan is also looking to deepen cooperation between the two nations’ defence industries, with efforts accelerating since Canberra’s decision last year to select the Mogami new generation frigate. Local sources have speculated that Koizumi may head to Australia in the next few weeks to finalise contract arrangements for the Mogami purchase.
A recent report from Japan’s influential Institute of Geoeconomics stated that Japan should further increase efforts to transfer technology and help Australia strengthen its defence industry base, with the latter’s close strategic alignment, strategic depth, and location at the nexus of the Pacific and Indian Oceans making it an ideal base for a maintenance hub for Japanese naval assets, and for helping Japan diversify logistical support and supply chains.
Another report from the same institute recommended offering generous offsets attached to weapons sales to strategically aligned countries so that the latter can serve as a base for housing surplus defence production capacity, which could be mobilised in the event of a conflict.
The defence ministerial meeting also coincided with a telephone meeting between the two nations’ foreign ministers, during which the two parties agreed to strengthen security and economic security cooperation.