US, UK and Australia consider adding Japan to AUKUS in the face of China's military advancement
The three countries see Tokyo's integration into the alliance as opportune. The addition could be confirmed during Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's visit to Washington, D.C.
(AFP)
With an eye being kept on the technological and military progress made by China in recent years, the governments of the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia are considering incorporating Japan into AUKUS, a trilateral alliance aimed at developing and fine-tuning various defense projects and strategies. The move by the three key players in the West is mainly linked to countering any threat from the communist regime in Beijing.
In a joint statement, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his counterparts, Grant Shapps (U.K.) and Richard Marles (Australia), reported on the high potential that currently exists for Japan to join the partnership for certain purposes, despite the fact that certain military agreements already exist between Tokyo and the other three countries.
"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 three top leaders said in the brief.
The goal of the three countries is "to further the delivery of advanced military capabilities to our respective defense forces in support of regional stability and security," referring to the Indo-Pacific region.
Possible confirmation during Kishida's visit to Washington, DC
The integration could be ratified during Fumio Kishida's visit to Washington, D.C., this week, where he will meet at the White House with Joe Biden. The meeting will be the first in nine years between a Japanese prime minister and a U.S. president in the nation's capital. In fact, U.S. ambassador to Tokyo, Rahm Emanuel, said that the meeting will mark "a profound transformation in U.S.-Japan relations, as one era ends and another begins," as reported by The Epoch Times.
AUKUS was created with the aim of boosting the military technology of the three countries and maintaining stability in the Indo-Pacific region. The integration of Japan, a leading country in technological development, would be an important incentive for the alliance to improve its military projects.
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