Japan, Australia Agree To Boost Security, Defense Cooperation
The top diplomats of Japan and Australia have agreed to continue boosting their cooperation on security and defense to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa and his Australian counterpart Penny Wong met on Thursday in Indonesia, where they traveled to attend a Group of 20 meeting.
Hayashi said he wants to closely work with Australia amid the increasingly severe security environment in the Indo-Pacific. China has been stepping up its maritime assertiveness in the region's waters.
The ministers agreed on the importance of collaborating with European countries in dealing with the impact Russia's invasion of Ukraine will have on the Indo-Pacific.
Hayashi also met separately with Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra.
Japan's Foreign Ministry said that the two agreed that Russia's invasion is an "outrageous act that shakes the foundation of the international order" in not only Europe but also Asia. They also agreed that unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force are unacceptable anywhere in the world.