Australia and Japan Sign Updated Security Pact as Leaders Meet in Perth

On Saturday in Perth, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida signed a new security cooperation agreement, replacing the 2007 declaration that had governed security ties between the two countries. The signing came at the annual Australia-Japan Leaders' Meeting, held in the capital of Western Australia.

The two leaders described the agreement as a "compass" for security cooperation over the next decade. It was written, they said, to answer a regional security environment that has changed since 2007. Albanese said one concrete result would be that Japan's military will train and exercise in northern Australia alongside Australian Defence Force personnel. The leaders also agreed to consult and study responses to emergencies that could affect regional security.

It was their fourth summit since Albanese took office in May. Both countries are U.S. allies, and the meeting took place as China pushes for greater influence in the Asia-Pacific. The two governments had been moving in this direction for months: in May, Kishida and Albanese pledged to work toward a new bilateral declaration on security cooperation. The earlier declaration covered counter-terrorism and North Korea's missile and nuclear weapons programmes, and in 2014 the two countries elevated their relationship to a "Special Strategic Partnership."

Kishida called the signing one of the largest achievements of his visit. He told reporters he had explained Japan's determination to contemplate all necessary options for its defence, including what he called counterstrike capability, and that Japan's defence capability would be fundamentally reinforced over the next five years, a plan he said Albanese supports. He said the two countries had worked toward a free and open Indo-Pacific under an increasingly severe strategic environment, and that they had become the central pillar of cooperation among like-minded countries.

The agenda also reached into energy and resources. Albanese said both countries are committed to net zero by 2050, and the leaders voiced support for a regional transition to net zero emissions and more investment in clean energy technology. They agreed to help build secure supply chains for critical minerals, including those needed for green technologies. Albanese said the partnership would promote investment, develop Australia's domestic sector and ensure Japan's advanced manufacturers have the minerals they need. The Australian government said the arrangement would also promote information sharing and collaboration, including research, investment and commercial arrangements between Japanese and Australian critical minerals projects.

The choice of Perth, about 3,700 km (2,300 miles) from Canberra, was meant to underline Western Australia's role in meeting Japan's energy needs, renewable energy included. Australia is a major supplier of iron ore, coal and gas to Japan, and the state is a key source of its beef and wheat. Kishida said Albanese told him Australia intends to remain a reliable partner and a safe investment destination, and that the two agreed to further bolster cooperation in energy and natural resources.

That assurance carries weight for a resource-poor country like Japan, for which stable energy supply has become more critical as Russia's invasion of Ukraine has raised the risk of disruption. What to watch next is whether the emergency consultation mechanisms take shape, whether Japanese forces begin training in northern Australia, and whether Tokyo's planned defence buildup moves forward.