Japan Participates in AUKUS Exercises as Observer; Progress Made toward Concrete Cooperation

By Hiroshi Tajima / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

14:44 JST, October 25, 2024

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Defense Ministry has announced that Japan has participated as an observer in exercises by the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, the nations of the AUKUS trilateral security framework. The three countries have high expectations for Japan’s contribution to defense-related advanced technology, on which progress has been made toward concrete cooperation.

The exercises tested technologies such as unmanned reconnaissance boats, autonomous cargo transport and underwater intelligence-gathering devices in order to improve the capabilities and interoperability of maritime autonomous systems. The three AUKUS countries have been exploring the development of such systems as an initial area of cooperation with Japan. Japan unofficially joined the exercises after being invited to participate, according to sources.

A high-ranking official from the ministry, citing Japan’s technology in fields such as robotics, told reporters that the countries have high expectations for full-scale technical cooperation with Japan. So far, little progress has been made in developing a cooperative relationship due to the reluctance of some in the Japanese government to cooperate with the AUKUS framework.