Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull is meeting his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe in Tokyo to finalise a defence pact which could see both nations’ armed forces train in each others’ countries.
Diplomatic and military ties between the two are strengthening as tensions rise on the Korean peninsula and China becomes more aggressive in its territorial claims in the South China Sea.
The two leaders meet as Russia began deliveries of S-400 surface-to-air missile system to China under the terms of a contract signed in 2014.
Efforts to build partnerships across the region intensified after Donald Trump’s arrival at the White House raised the possibility of a US retreat from global leadership.
Mr Turnbull said: “Prime Minister Abe and I are committed to strong defence co-operation through joint exercises, information sharing and defence industry collaboration.
“We are working to formalise this in our reciprocal access agreement that will further enhance our defence interoperability.”
Japanese officials said a “visiting forces agreement” would be complex and played down the chances of a conclusion this week.
Mr Abe’s diplomatic goal is a coalition around principles such as freedom of navigation, multilateral trade deals and the negotiated settlement of territorial disputes.
He wants to make it harder for China to change the status quo with its growing economic and military power.
Tokyo already sees Canberra as a “quasi-ally” – one of a handful of countries, including the UK, with which it shares objectives and military co-operation short of an alliance.
Mr Turnbull has a similar goal in bolstering the rules-based order in Asia, a region that is central to Australia’s economic prosperity and security.
In November, Australian officials joined counterparts from Japan, India and the US at a meeting in Manila to restart the “quad” — a diplomatic initiative set up a decade ago to counterbalance China’s growing power in the region.
Canberra has also adopted a tougher approach to China over the past year, passing laws against foreign interference in its own affairs and criticising Beijing’s aid programme in the South Pacific.