AUKUS partners eye adding ‘like-minded’ Japan to counter China
Washington | Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom will officially consider Japan’s inclusion in the AUKUS military pact, saying the country can help promote peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
The widely anticipated move to acknowledge Japan as a likely partner in the AUKUS pact is likely to antagonise Beijing. Japan wants to strengthen its security alliances to push back against an increasingly aggressive China in the region.
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrives in the United States to meet US President Joe Biden. AP
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is making an official visit to the United States this week that will include an official state dinner with President Joe Biden and a speech to Congress. He will become only the second Japanese prime minister to address Congress.
Defence Minister Richard Marles, UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps and US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin said they would consider bringing Japan into the so-called Pillar II part of the pact, which covers advanced technology such as hypersonic missiles, quantum computing, artificial intelligence, undersea drones and electronic warfare.
“Since the inception of AUKUS, our nations have been clear in our intent to engage others in Pillar II projects as our work progresses,” they said in a joint statement on Tuesday (AEST).
“Recognising Japan’s strengths and its close bilateral defence partnerships with all three countries, we are considering co-operation with Japan on AUKUS Pillar II advanced capability projects.
“We are confident that engaging like-minded partners in the work of Pillar II will only strengthen this pursuit.” Pillar II differs from Pillar I which involves the US sale of nuclear-powered submarines to Australia in the early 2030s.
The statement came as Canada’s prime minister said his country was considering joining AUKUS and believed it may need nuclear submarines to patrol its Arctic waters.
Justin Trudeau said on Monday that he had already held “excellent conversations” with the US, UK and Australia over joining the alliance.
Mr Trudeau said it was “really important that allies, particularly across the Indo-Pacific, work together in a stronger and tighter ways”, in a nod towards concerns of threats from China.
Japan has long been seen as the most obvious candidate to join AUKUS, and it has always been envisaged that trusted allies and partners would be able to participate in the Pillar II aspects of the agreement.
In their statement, the AUKUS defence leaders said they would begin talks with Japan this year.
“AUKUS partners have developed principles and models for additional partner engagement in individual Pillar II projects and will undertake consultations in 2024 with prospective partners regarding areas where they can contribute to, and benefit from, this historic work.”
The leaders said that in identifying collaboration opportunities, “we will take into account factors such as technological innovation, financing, industrial strengths, ability to adequately protect sensitive data and information, and impact on promoting peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region”.
Mr Marles said this week that, “Japan is an indispensable defence partner for Australia. Our comprehensive defence relationship is underpinned by close strategic alignment and enormous potential for technology and industrial co-operation”.
Japan has shown it is prepared to spend significantly on military improvements committing to hit a defence spending target of 2 per cent of gross domestic product by 2027.
On Monday (Tuesday AEDT), Japan’s ambassador to the US, Yamada Shigeo, said his nation’s national security strategy “clearly demonstrated strong commitment to dramatically enhance defence capabilities”.
“We are talking about the importance of enhanced co-operation in utilising our respective defence industries,” Mr Shigeo told the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
He said Mr Kishida’s discussions with Mr Biden this week would include “transformational changes taking place in Japan on security policy”.
US ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel wrote last week that Japan was “about to become the first additional Pillar II partner”.
He said on Monday that Japan’s recently changed government policies on defence technology exports “opens up an industrial capacity in Japan to be part of the solution to the global challenge”.
US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, one of the driving forces behind AUKUS, also telegraphed an announcement this week to coincide with Mr Kishida’s visit.
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