It was not far from former fortifications from the Second World War, when Japan threatened Australia, that the Australian and Japanese foreign and defence ministers met on Thursday in Melbourne Bay.
The symbolism is all the more powerful as all have stressed how the ties between the two Pacific nations are stronger than ever. Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa has noted “increasingly significant difficulties” in the regional strategic environment. “We are facing serious challenges, including unilateral attempts to change the status quo through force or coercion. In this context, Japan-Australia security cooperation is stronger than ever,” she said.
Japan protested at the end of August against the intrusion of a Chinese spy plane into its airspace, while China is also multiplying its provocations towards other Asian countries, led by the Philippines and Taiwan.
Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles also noted a “more fragile global environment where the rules-based global order is under intense pressure,” pointing to the Indo-Pacific region and the South and East China Seas.
Russian-Chinese cooperation
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong echoed the sentiment by saying she “observes growing military cooperation between China and Russia, as well as Chinese efforts to normalise risky actions towards the Philippines and Taiwan.” “And of course, the reckless and unacceptable behaviour of North Korea, which undermines your security and that of the entire region,” she told her counterpart Yoko Kamikawa. The latter is expected to succeed outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Japan and Australia, also close economic and energy partners, have therefore committed to strengthening their interoperability in terms of security and defence. Richard Marles considered that this cooperation in terms of defence is a “pillar” for regional stability.
These include joint military exercises with the US Marines and regular deployments of Japanese F-35 fighter jets to the north of Australia, in Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory. Ironically, the city was bombed by hundreds of Japanese planes in 1942, killing 250 Australians.
