Japan, Australia to boost defense, diplomatic cooperation

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - Japan and Australia said Friday that they will boost defense and diplomatic cooperation amid a changing geo-political environment in the wider Asia-Pacific region.

“Japan and Australia need to lead efforts toward the realization of a free and open Indo-Pacific,” according to a statement from the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

The statement comes after Prime Minister Fumio Kishida hosted Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong in Tokyo, Kyodo News reported.

The officials added they will “deepen cooperation in the fields of natural resources and energy.”

The announcement as China is “trying to bolster its military clout and challenge the regional influence” of the US. Japan and Australia are close allies of Washington.

The foreign and defense ministers of Japan and Australia also held a joint meeting -- known as the two-plus-two format -- in Tokyo, where they “agreed on their opposition to any attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force in the East and South China seas.”

Japanese top diplomat Yoshimasa Hayashi said the two countries agreed to “boost their diplomatic cooperation” with countries in the southeast Asian and Pacific regions.

The development comes as friction between the US, its allies and China has recently seen an uptick as Washington leads the Quad in the wider region to contain Beijing’s expanding military and economic influence.

The Quad is a loose security alliance that includes Japan, Australia and India as well.

Beijing has pushed back on the efforts, criticizing any effort to isolate the world’s largest populated country and the second-biggest economy.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have also exacerbated the situation, with Pyongyang launching dozens of missiles last month.

Japan currently hosts several US military bases with 50,000 American soldiers under a bilateral security deal.