US, UK And Australia Weigh Adding Japan To Pact To Counter China
The three countries said they’d consider working with Japan on the Aukus alliance’s Pillar II, which covers advanced technologies such as hypersonic weapons, artificial intelligence and quantum computing.
(Bloomberg) -- The US, the UK and Australia may bring Japan into their flagship defense pact, senior officials said Monday, days before Japan’s prime minister visits Washington and the countries look to project a united front as China boosts its military ambitions.
The three countries said they’d consider working with Japan on the Aukus alliance’s Pillar II, which covers advanced technologies such as hypersonic weapons, artificial intelligence and quantum computing.
“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 US, UK and Australian defense ministers said in a joint statement.
Japan wouldn’t be included in Pillar I of the deal, which will see the US and the UK help Australia field a fleet of US nuclear-powered Virginia class submarines starting in about 2032. However, that project has run into delays given the slow pace the US is projected to have in building its subs.
The defense ministers’ announcement offers a fresh incentive for Japan days before Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is set to visit Washington for a three-way leaders meeting with President Joe Biden and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Kishida is due to meet with Biden one-on-one on April 10.
Read More: Japan’s Kishida Advocates Wider Defense Network Ahead of US Trip
The US has yet to detail what it expects from the summit though US officials have said they expect important gains. In a discussion last week, Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said the summit would be “historic and it will largely be historic for the updating of the US-Japan security partnership.”
Australia signed the Aukus security partnership with the US and UK in September 2021, part of a pivot by Washington and London to strengthen their presence in the Indo-Pacific region as China’s military power grows. Campbell was a key architect of the deal in his then-role as Biden’s top Asia adviser.
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