Australian Defense Minister Linda Reynolds made her first official visit to Tokyo in November, holding talks with her counterpart, Taro Kono, reiterating their commitment to the security relationship between the two countries, and consolidated a series of new measures designed to deepen their defense cooperation.
These developments have consolidated the perception that Tokyo and Canberra now see each other as their most important — and reliable — security partner after their respective alliances with the United States.
There has been a consistent effort to enhance the security pact since Australia and Japan signed a Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation in 2007.