Australia, Japan Sign Defense Pact Amid China's Growing Assertiveness

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met in a virtual summit to sign the Reciprocal Access Agreement, the first such defense pact signed by Japan with any country other than the United States.

The agreement follows more than a year of talks between Japan and Australia aimed at breaking down legal barriers to allow the troops of one country to enter the other for training and other purposes.

바카라�Japan is our closest partner in Asia as demonstrated by our special strategic partnership 바카라� Australia's only such partnership,바카라� Morrison said. 바카라�An equal partnership, shared trust between two great democracies committed to the rule of law, human rights, free trade and a free and open Indo-Pacific.바카라�

Kishida hailed the agreement as 바카라�a landmark instrument which will elevate security cooperation between the nations to new heights.바카라�

While China wasn't mentioned, its significance at the signing was implicit.

Japan's ambassador to Australia, Shingo Yamagami, said that 바카라�in light of the deteriorating security environment, what Japan and Australia can do together is first of all to increase deterrence.바카라�

Morrison said the agreement 바카라�will form an important part of Australia and Japan's response to the uncertainty we now face and will underpin greater and more complex engagement in operability between the Australia Defense Force and Japan Self-Defense Forces.바카라�

He called the pact a "pivotal moment for Australia and Japan and (for) the security of our two nations and our people.바카라�

Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said the agreement recognized the importance of establishing firm defense partnerships to deter an increasingly aggressive China.

바카라�Japan is breaking away from its post-war constitutional constraints on the use of military force because Tokyo recognizes the challenges it is facing from China,바카라� he told Sky News. 바카라�There is a territorial dispute between China and Japan ... and more significantly there is a growing concern China will make a move over Taiwan in the next few years.바카라�

The pact builds on the strategic dialogue known as 바카라�the Quad,바카라� which includes Japan, Australia, the United States and India. Australia last year also signed the AUKUS agreement with the United States and Britain, both of which have pledged to help Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines.