Japan and Australia are discussing potential military cooperation in case of simultaneous contingencies in their nearby regions, government sources said Monday.
Through the discussion and the development of examples of collaboration between the Japan Self-Defense Forces and the Australian military, Tokyo envisions establishing bilateral defense cooperation guidelines with Canberra to clarify their role-sharing, the sources added.
The working-level consultation was launched based on a joint declaration on security cooperation, signed by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese when they met in October 2022 in Australia.
In the document, the two leaders pledged to “consult each other on contingencies that may affect our sovereignty and regional security interests” and “explore additional ways to improve the effectiveness of our bilateral security and defense cooperation.”