Defense & Security

Japan, U.S., Australia Agree to Increase Joint Exercises

Photos by AP/Danial Hakim
From left: Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles. In the Asia’s annual defense and security forum, in Singapore, Saturday, June 11, 2022.

Jiji Press

12:30 JST, June 12, 2022

Singapore, June 11 (Jiji Press)—Defense chiefs from Japan, the United States and Australia on Saturday agreed to increase and strengthen trilateral exercises to enhance interoperability and readiness.

Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles also agreed at their meeting in Singapore to pursue trilateral cooperation on defense equipment and technologies.

In a joint statement released after their meeting, the three defense chiefs called on Russia to immediately withdraw its forces and cease its attack on Ukrainian territory.

“At a time when the foundations of the international order are being shaken, it is very important that allies and partners that share fundamental values work together,” Kishi told a press conference.

The joint statement also said that the ministers are “concerned about the increasingly severe security environment in the East China Sea,” apparently with China’s increasingly hegemonic activities in mind.

“The ministers underscore the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and encourage the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues,” the statement said.