The deteriorating strategic environment in the Indo-Pacific makes an Australia-Japan defence alignment central to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific by deterring China in the region. Australian–Japanese defence alignment will contribute to deterrence by developing interoperability between the two country’s naval forces. This alignment has become even more important since the December release of the United States’ National Security Strategy, which prioritises deterrence and increased burden sharing among US allies. On 7 December, Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles met in Tokyo. They voiced their ‘strong opposition to any unilateral attempts [by China] to change the status quo by force or coercion … in the East China Sea and South China Sea’.
Facing China’s threat, Australia–Japan alignment is indispensable | The Strategist
