Japan and Australia have reached broad agreement on a bilateral defense agreement to promote more joint operations and exercises on each other’s territory, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said.
Kan made the remarks at a joint press conference Tuesday (Nov. 17) with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who arrived in Japan for a visit the same day. This is Morrison’s first official international visit of the year, and he becomes the first foreign leader to meet with Kan in Japan.
Security experts expect Morrison and Kan to sign a bilateral defense agreement that will establish a legal framework for the exchange of visits by the two countries’ militaries for training and joint military operations.
An official from Japan’s Foreign Ministry told a media briefing that “something will be announced after the meeting.” But no further explanation was given.
The aforementioned bilateral defense agreement is formally known as the Reciprocal Access Agreement RAA, or Reciprocal Access Agreement, formerly known as the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).
The agreement was negotiated over a six-year period and, once signed, requires the approval of the legislatures of both countries to take effect. This agreement will be the first of its kind signed by Japan since the signing of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between Japan and the United States in 1960. The SOFA is part of the U.S.-Japan military alliance, which allows U.S. warships, fighter jets, and thousands of troops to be deployed in Japan and the surrounding region. The United States has called this bilateral defense agreement a cornerstone of regional security.
Observers believe that the “mutual access agreement” between Japan and Australia will strengthen the defense relationship between the two U.S. allies to counter China’s growing expansion in the Asia-Pacific region.
At the start of the talks, Kan said he wanted to “discuss cooperation to further strengthen the already strong relationship between Japan and Australia in the areas of national security, trade, and economic relations, and to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
Morrison said the two “like-minded” countries – both liberal democracies based on market economies – have a special responsibility to help maintain peace in the region. In addition to mutual access agreements, Kan and Morrison are reportedly discussing novel coronavirus and economic issues.
With China’s expanding maritime activities from the East and South China Seas and beyond, Japan has sought to complement its regional defenses by strengthening cooperation with other countries, particularly Australia.
Japan views Australia as a “semi-ally” and defense cooperation between the two countries dates back several years. The two countries signed a defense cooperation agreement in 2007, agreed to share military supplies in 2013, and expanded the agreement to include munitions in 2017 after Japan eased restrictions on transfers of weaponry.
Japan and Australia are members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD). “The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD) is considered an alliance of the most powerful democracies in the Indo-Pacific region and includes the United States and India as members. “The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD) aims to work together to deter Chinese aggression and coercion and to achieve a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
Australia’s navy recently joined Indian, Japanese, and U.S. warships in the annual Malabar joint military exercises in the Indian Ocean, reinforcing the “quadruple threat” mechanism.
Relations between the two countries continue to be troubled by the legacy of Japan’s occupation of parts of China during World War II, and a dispute over sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands (known in China as the Diaoyu Islands) in the East China Sea.
Relations between Australia and China have continued to deteriorate over the past two years, and in 2018, Australia became the first country to publicly ban Chinese tech giant Huawei from its 5G network, citing national security concerns. Diplomatic tensions between China and Australia have continued to worsen since then, with Australia’s assertive stance in 2020 calling for an international investigation into the origin and spread of the coronavirus angering Beijing.
China has consistently claimed that its actions in the maritime areas of concern are peaceful and has denied violating international rules. China accuses the Quadripartite Security Dialogue framework of creating a “mini-NATO” in Asia to confront China. China said on November 16 that it would conduct military training in the South China Sea from Tuesday (November 17) to the end of November.
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