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Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles has used his official trip to Japan to reinforce the strategic partnership between the two nations at a time of heightened international tensions.
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As part of the visit, the Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister reinforced Japan’s central role as an “indispensable partner” to Australia during his conversations with his Japanese counterpart, Japanese Minister of Defense Kihara Minoru.
The two ministers officially welcomed the entry into force of the landmark Japan-Australia Reciprocal Access Agreement, transforming the bilateral defence cooperation and enhancing the interoperability of forces. The pair also discussed a number of recent milestones in the strategic partnership, including:
- First applications of the Reciprocal Access Agreement last month in the mutual deployment exercises of F-35As, including for Exercise Bushido Guardian.
- Live firing of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force’s surface-to-air and surface-to-ship missiles during Exercise Talisman Sabre using Australia’s training ranges.
- Australian Defence Force (ADF) participation in Japan-United States exercises, Yama Sakura in November 2023 and Keen Edge in February 2024.
- Progress under the JDSC to enhance the scope, objectives, and forms of enhanced operational cooperation.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, the Honourable Richard Marles, said, “Our growing strategic alignment contributes to shared security challenges in our region and is key to promoting an open, secure, and prosperous Indo-Pacific. This is my third visit to Japan as Deputy Prime Minister, demonstrating the importance I ascribe to the bilateral defence relationship.”
Additionally, the ministers celebrated the first-of-its-kind collaboration between the Australian Department of Defence, Mitsubishi Electric Australia, and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation on cutting-edge laser technology to enhance the ADF’s surveillance capability and survivability of defence platforms.
“Japan is an indispensable partner and we have achieved much in 2023, including entry into force of the Reciprocal Access Agreement and lifting the complexity and sophistication of our operational cooperation. I look forward to progressing our shared ambition with my new counterpart Minister Kihara Minoru,” the Deputy Prime Minister added.
