The U.S., U.K., and Australia announced on Monday that they are exploring the possibility of Japan joining them under their AUKUS security pact known as Pillar II.
The three countries disclosed that discussions regarding Tokyo’s involvement in Pillar II are underway, with Britain indicating that consultations with Japan and other prospective partners will commence later this year.
China expressed deep concern over this development as Defence Minister Richard Marles and his AUKUS counterparts affirmed their deliberation on potential cooperation with Japan in advanced capability projects under Pillar II.
However, Anthony Albanese clarified that this initiative does not entail expanding membership but rather assessing whether Japan can engage in project-specific collaborations under the AUKUS framework.
“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 chiefs from the three countries said in a statement.
The statement released on Monday did not indicate any involvement by Japan in the delivery of nuclear-powered attack submarines under the pact’s first pillar.
Instead, any potential collaboration with Japan is anticipated to focus on the development and sharing of advanced capabilities across various domains. These areas include hypersonic, undersea, and cyber weapons technology, as well as advancements in quantum computing and artificial intelligence.
AUKUS is part of joint efforts to counter China’s growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.
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