‘Natural’ for Japan to play larger Aukus role amid China threat, but likely not as partner

Japan’s ties with Australia and Aukus has grown amid tensions with China, but ‘complexities’ in the sharing of nuclear information means a ‘Jaukus’ bloc is unlikely

Still, there are opportunities for Japan to cooperate with Australia, the UK and US on areas ‘beyond the first pillar’, including on AI and hypersonic missiles, analysts say

Reading Time:3 minutes

Australia’s PM Anthony Albanese, US President Joe Biden and British PM Rishi Sunak arrive for a press conference about Aukus on March 13, 2023. Photo: AP

Published: 5:00pm, 19 Feb 2024

Australia’s defence minister has said Canberra is keen for Tokyo to play a larger role in the development of defence technology under the Aukus security partnership, but he stopped short of suggesting Japan should join a pact that presently brings together Australia, Britain and the United States.

The latest comments by Richard Marles could mark disappointment for Tokyo, given that Japanese Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso on a trip to Canberra last November had proposed that Japan be added to the grouping to form “Jaukus”, and counter a “long marathon” posed by China’s security threat.

Analysts said while Japan’s bilateral relationship with Australia and multilateral ties with Aukus had undoubtedly drawn closer in recent years amid tensions with Beijing, Tokyo was unlikely to become a member in the foreseeable future because of complications in the sharing of nuclear information.

“What defence minister [Marles] is rightly saying is that the Australia-Japan security partnership has developed and become clearer, and there is a desire for deeper cooperation,” said Ben Ascione, an assistant professor of international relations at Tokyo’s Waseda University.

Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Richard Marles. Photo: AP

Marles, who also serves as Australia’s deputy prime minister, earlier said in an interview with Kyodo News that his country sought to “work more closely with Japan” on the development of cutting-edge security technology, due to Tokyo’s reputation for innovation.