Australia and Japan signed a security pact on Saturday (October 22) to counter China’s growing military power. Visiting Australia, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met his counterpart, Anthony Albanese, in Perth, Western Australia, to overhaul a 15-year-old agreement, written at a time when jihadist attacks and the proliferation of weapons represented the main concerns of both parties.
“This historic statement sends a strong signal to the region about our strategic alignment”, said Mr. Albanese, welcoming the pact signed between the two countries. Without directly quoting China or North Korea, the Japanese Prime Minister described the agreement as a response to a “increasingly harsh strategic environment”.
Australia had not received a visit from a Japanese prime minister since 2018. The two Pacific nations are expected to focus on sharing geospatial signals and intelligence gleaned from wiretap (or Sigint) satellites. Neither country currently has extensive foreign intelligence networks, like the US CIA or France’s DGSE.
Military and energy cooperation
The pact is also seen as a further step towards Japan’s joining the powerful so-called alliance. « Five Eyes” in intelligence between Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and the United States. However, obstacles remain. In the past, closer cooperation has been hampered by long-standing concerns about Tokyo’s ability to handle sensitive confidential documents and transmit them securely.
The Japanese and Australian Prime Ministers also pledged to strengthen their military and energy cooperation. Japan is a major buyer of Australian gas and it has bet heavily on hydrogen power produced in Australia.
The original security pact between Tokyo and Canberra was signed in 2007, when Beijing was much weaker militarily and less assertive in its dealings with the world. Since Xi Jinping came to power, Beijing’s military has become much stronger and its posture more aggressive. During Mr. Xi’s decade of rule, China has built its military into one of the strongest in the world and amassed a nuclear and ballistic arsenal.