More complex joint exercises, greater military cooperation and closer coordination with Washington — these were some of the key takeaways from the latest gathering of Australia and Japan's top diplomats and defense chiefs as the quasi-allies committed to coordinate their national security policies “more closely than ever before.”
Meeting for the first time in a "two-plus-two" format since December 2022, the officials agreed Thursday to a series of measures to strengthen their “special strategic partnership” and operationalize the comprehensive defense cooperation agenda they unveiled almost two years ago. The move comes amid shared concerns over the volatile security situation in the region, particularly with regard to China’s growing assertiveness.
As Tokyo and Canberra become more strategically aligned than ever, the theme of the summit was to take the strong bilateral relationship and “charge it with ambition” across the full spectrum of policy areas, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles told a joint press briefing in Queenscliff, Australia.
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