AUKUS Nations Considering Cooperating with Japan

Jiji Press

17:13 JST, April 9, 2024

Washington (Jiji Press)—The United States, Britain and Australia said Monday that they are considering cooperating with Japan in developing advanced military capabilities under their AUKUS security framework.

The AUKUS nations aim to work together with Japan in areas such as hypersonic weapons and artificial intelligence to counter China’s military expansion in the Indo-Pacific, people familiar with the situation said.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and U.S. President Joe Biden are expected to discuss the matter at their summit at the White House on Wednesday.

“Recognizing Japan’s strengths and its close bilateral defense partnerships with all three countries, we are considering cooperation with Japan on AUKUS Pillar II advanced capability projects,” the defense ministers of the United States, Britain and Australia said in a joint statement.

They said, “Our objective remains to further the delivery of advanced military capabilities to our respective defense forces in support of regional stability and security; we are confident that engaging like-minded partners in the work of Pillar II will only strengthen this pursuit.”

“In identifying collaboration opportunities, we will take into account factors such as technological innovation, financing, industrial strengths, ability to adequately protect sensitive data and information, and impact on promoting peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region,” the ministers said.