Sydney Australia and Japan January 5 ANI Australia and Japan will hold a virtual summit on Thursday to sign a defence agreement as both countries try to strengthen defense cooperation amid China's growing military influence.
The Reciprocal Access Agreement will enhance interoperability and collaboration between the Japanese Self Defense Forces and the Australian Defense Force, including allowing faster deployment of defense personnel and easing restrictions on the transportation of weapons and supplies for joint training and disaster relief operations, according to Kyodo News.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that this treaty will be a statement of our two nations' commitment to work together to meet the shared security challenges we face and to contribute to a secure and stable Indo-Pacific.
Australia will be the first country after the United States will conclude an agreement with Japan.
According to the Japanese media, Japan's prime minister Fumio Kishida had been considering a visit to Australia in January to sign the agreement but on Tuesday he said he would abandon the plan for an in-person summit to focus on the COVID 19 response in Japan.
This came amid deteriorating relations between Canberra and Beijing.
Their relations have dipped after the Chinese leadership was incensed with Canberra calling for an independent investigation into the origins of the novel coronaviruses.