‘No plans’ for Japan to join Aukus security pact, PM says
Australia has hosed down speculation Japan may be formally invited to join the Aukus security partnership, saying Tokyo’s involvement would be limited to cooperation on developing advanced technologies.
There are “no plans” to expand Aukus beyond its three founding members, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in Canberra yesterday, referring to Australia, Britain and the United States. He said Aukus would look for external research cooperation on a project-by-project basis.
“If there can be gains that are in the interests of the three Aukus partners but in addition any partners outside the direct Aukus relationship, then that will be considered,” Albanese said, adding Japan was a “natural candidate” to work on such projects.
“What is not proposed is to expand the membership of Aukus.”
Australia, Britain and US signed the Aukus agreement in September 2021 with the goal of helping Canberra deploy a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines by the 2030s. The pact is part of a pivot by Washington to strengthen its presence in the Asia-Pacific as China’s military ambitions expand.
The first stage, or “pillar”, aims to deliver nuclear-powered attack submarines to Australia. The second pillar is focused on sharing military technology and cooperation in areas including quantum computing, artificial intelligence and cyber technology.
Defence Minister Richard Marles said at the same press conference that Aukus was more a technology sharing relationship than a defence alliance.
A key area of interest for potential partners such as Japan and New Zealand is the so-called Pillar II, under which the Aukus partners will cooperate and share strategic hi-tech research. While the US has previously raised the possibility of involving other nations, expanding the pact faces hurdles from strict US restrictions on sharing technology and hesitation in other capitals.
Canberra worries that adding a fourth country to the alliance would complicate and take attention away from the already difficult task of acquiring the nuclear-powered submarines, according to a diplomatic source.
A Japanese government official said on Monday discussions about formally joining the alliance was unlikely to be welcomed by Australia or Britain until they had concrete results from the pact.
“Talking about increasing the number of members when nothing’s been achieved with Aukus yet would only disrupt the framework of cooperation that is meant to be its basis,” said the official, who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity.
Even in the absence of political obstacles, officials and experts say Japan needs to introduce better cyber defences and stricter rules for guarding secrets before it can be incorporated in the pact.
Earlier, Marles and his US and British counterparts had issued a joint statement highlighting the potential for working with Tokyo.
“Recognising Japan’s strengths and its close bilateral defence partnerships with all three countries, we are considering cooperation with Japan on Aukus Pillar II advanced capability projects,” they said.
China has criticised the Aukus pact and said it could spark a regional arms race. A foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday expanding Aukus would destabilise the region and Japan should act cautiously on defence issues, given its history.
US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, a key architect of Washington’s Indo-Pacific policy and a proponent of wider involvement in Pillar II of Aukus, said last week the US was encouraging Japan to do more to protect intellectual property and hold officials accountable for secrets.
“It’s fair to say that Japan has taken some of those steps, but not all of them,” Campbell said.