Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida have signed a joint security declaration that substantially increases defense cooperation and commits both countries to “consult” each other if they face potential security threats.
Key Points:
- The updated joint statement charts a path for closer cooperation between Australia and Japan over the next decade
- It says Australia and Japan will “consult each other on contingencies that may affect our sovereignty and regional security interests, and consider measures in response”.
- Albanese said the document sent a “strong signal” of the “strategic alignment” between Australia and Japan
The two men signed the new agreement at the annual meeting of leaders of Australia and Japan in Perth, substantially updating a 2007 pact signed by John Howard and Shinzo Abe.
The summit is the fourth for the leaders since Albanese took office in May.
“The level of interaction we have is very reflective of the special strategic partnership that Australia and Japan have. The two countries really care about each other now more than ever,” Albanese told a news conference on Saturday.
The updated joint statement charts a path for closer cooperation between Australia and Japan over the next decade, reflecting the strong and growing strategic alignment of the two countries.
It says Australia and Japan will “consult each other on contingencies that may affect our sovereignty and regional security interests, and consider measures in response”.
This echoes some of the language used in the ANZUS treaty between the United States and Australia, although, unlike that pact, this joint declaration is not a legally binding treaty.
Bryce Wakefield of the Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA) said that while the consultation section moved the two countries “toward a mutual security guarantee”, it did not make explicit promises or reach as far as US security treaties with Japan and Australia.
“For Japan, this is a new way of thinking about security,” he told the ABC.
“In the past, it has relied heavily on the security alliance between the US and Japan, but now it is leaning towards a more connected security idea with key partners like Australia.”
The statement also said the two countries will “broaden and deepen practical cooperation and further enhance interoperability between the Australian Defense Force and the Japan Self-Defense Forces through more sophisticated joint exercises and operations, multilateral exercises with partners, mutual use of the facilities, including maintenance, protection of assets and links and exchanges of personnel”.
Albanese said the document sent a “strong signal” of the “strategic alignment” between Australia and Japan.
“Our commitment to consult each other on contingencies is a natural step in efforts to support security and stability in the region,” he said.
“It shows the responsibility we share for security in our region and to each other.”
Albanese and Kishida also spoke about climate change, expressing their support for a regional transition to net zero carbon. (ABC News)
Kishida said Saturday that he and Anthony Albanese agreed that ties between the two US allies had reached a new level given their close cooperation on security, energy and natural resources.
“[The agreement] it will be a compass showing the direction of bilateral security and defense cooperation for the next 10 years,” Kishida told a news conference in Perth.
Albanese and Kishida also discussed climate change, expressing support for a regional transition to net zero carbon emissions and increased investment in clean energy technology.
“Both of our countries are committed to net zero by 2050,” Albanese said.
The joint statement also includes no specific reference to armed attacks like those found in ANZUS, which says the US and Australia will “act to meet the common danger” if they come under attack.
Among those efforts, the leaders agreed to help build secure supply chains between the two nations for “critical minerals, including those needed to build the green technologies of the future,” Albanese said.
“This partnership will mean we will build secure supply chains, promote investment, develop Australia’s domestic sector and ensure Japan’s advanced manufacturers have the critical minerals they need.”
In addition to building a framework for secure supply chains, the partnership will promote information sharing and collaboration, including research, investment and trade agreements between Japanese and Australian critical minerals projects, he said the Australian government in a statement.
‘Central pillar of cooperation’
Kishido said the two nations had been working towards a free and open Indo-Pacific. (Flickr, Official US Navy Page)
Kishida told reporters that the signing of the updated joint security declaration was one of the biggest achievements of his visit.
“I expressed my determination that all options necessary for the defense of our country, including the so-called counter-strike capability, would be considered and Japan’s defense capability would be fundamentally strengthened in the next five years, which is supported by of Anthony,” he said. .
The Japanese leader said the two nations had been working towards a free and open Indo-Pacific under “an increasingly severe strategic environment”.
“Through this experience, the ties between Japan and Australia have become much stronger. And our two countries have become the central pillar of cooperation between like-minded countries,” he said.
Australia is a major supplier of iron ore, coal and gas to Japan.
The location of the meeting in Perth, 3,700 kilometers from Canberra, was intended to show the importance of Western Australia in supplying Japan’s energy needs, including renewable energy. The state is also a key source of beef and wheat for Japan.
Canberra and Tokyo have recently strengthened security ties in response to China’s growing military strength in the region. In May, Kishida and Albanese pledged to work on a new bilateral declaration on security cooperation.
An earlier joint statement outlined security cooperation in areas such as counterterrorism and North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.
The two countries in 2014 elevated their relationship to a “special strategic partnership”.
“Highly significant”
Australian Strategic Policy Institute chief executive Justin Bassi said the joint statement was “highly significant” and “not just a bland summary of the bilateral relationship”.
“This is a clear description of their intimacy in relation to how the two countries see the world, their roles in it and the challenges that need to be faced head on,” he said.
“The commitment to consult on contingencies and consider response measures further elevates the partnership and should be seen as a clear sign of the assessment of the strategic environment of both countries.
“And it should be noted that this commitment is at the point that focuses on the next 10 years”.