U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced after their summit in Washington that the two militaries will cooperate through a joint command structure and will work with Australia to develop a new air-based missile defense network.
"Today, we announced our vision to collaborate between the United States, Japan, and Australia on a networked air defense architecture to address the growing air and missile threats. ”
Earlier this week, defense ministers from Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom confirmed that Japan could soon join the "second pillar" of the AUKUS agreement. Pillar 2 is an AUKUS plan to share technology, jointly develop and deliver military capabilities, with a focus on security in the Indo-Pacific region.
"Our Aukus defense partnership with Australia and the United Kingdom is exploring how we can get Japan to join us in our Pillar 2 work," Biden said at a joint news conference on Wednesday. ”
Fumio Kishida, through an interpreter, said that "no decision has been made" about Japan's possible contribution to the AUKUS partnership.
A senior White House official said it would be a few months before "the Aukus Pillar 2 vision is fully concretized" and work on concrete projects begins.
"There is no doubt that Japan brings a lot of things," the official said, "which is why we announced that the AUKUS partners want to start consultations with Tokyo as soon as possible." ”
What is clear at the moment is that Japan's involvement in Aukus will not extend to the "first pillar" of its core, which is Australia's acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines.
U.S.-Japan alliance 'the most significant upgrade since its inception'
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's official state visit to the United States and the joint statement by the U.S. and Japanese leaders represent "the most significant upgrade in the alliance's history" and mark the two rivals entering the closest cooperation since they became allies decades ago.
The United States and Japan have reached about 70 agreements on defense cooperation, including upgrading the U.S. military command structure in Japan to better cooperate with the Japanese military in a crisis.
Biden and Fumio Kishida also announced that Japanese astronauts will participate in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) mission to the moon.
Kishida also said that "regarding Russia's aggression against Ukraine...... Today's Ukraine may be tomorrow's East Asia. ”
The United States may give up the pursuit of Assange, and the Australian prime minister welcomes it
U.S. President Joe Biden has said he may abandon the hunt for Australian WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Assange is currently pursuing a lawsuit in the United Kingdom, seeking legal means to prevent his extradition from the United Kingdom to the United States.
Asked yesterday before his meeting with Fumio Kishida if there was a response to Australia's demand that the U.S. end the indictment of Assange, Biden said: "We are considering. ”
Assange's predicament has been a sore spot in the close US-Australia alliance. In February, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and other lawmakers passed a motion urging the United States and Britain to end the prosecution of Assange and allow him to return to Australia.
Biden's response is also the first time that Australia has spoken publicly about the issue since the motion was passed.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Biden's response was "encouraging" and that Australia would continue its diplomatic efforts.
Speaking to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) this morning, Albanese said: "I think there has to be a conclusion to this matter, and Assange has paid a heavy price. There will be no benefit to Mr. Assange's continued imprisonment. ”