The AUKUS trilateral military alliance, formed by the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia in 2021, has recently completed its expansion, and Japan has become a new member. There is no need to be surprised by Japan's accession, it is completely reasonable. From the moment AUKUS announced the start of the expansion, it was assumed that Japan would be the first new member to join AUKUS, because Japan's relationship with the United States, Britain and Australia is extraordinary. In January 2022, Japan and Australia signed the "Reciprocal Access Agreement", and in January last year, Japan and the United Kingdom signed the same document, and the two countries announced that they would cooperate in the development of sixth-generation aircraft.
Looking at the entire Indo-Pacific region, Japan's air and sea strength is quite strong, which is weaker than China and the United States, and even a little stronger than India. After Japan entered AUKUS, the military strength of this military alliance was instantly strengthened by an epic level. In addition, the United States, Britain, and Australia have also taken a fancy to Japan's military scientific and technological strength and want to win over Japan to jointly develop some advanced military science and technology, such as hypersonic missiles and conventionally powered submarines. On the one hand, the defense relations with the United States, Britain, and Australia have been strengthened, and on the other hand, with AUKUS as a backer, it can be more confident in the military game with China and Russia.
Japan's accession is only the beginning of the expansion of AUKUS, and in the future, this military alliance may absorb more members, and according to the United States, to build this military alliance into an Indo-Pacific version of "NATO", four members are obviously not enough, and it must be further expanded. Just after Japan joined, the next potential new member has surfaced, and it is Canada. Recently, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau brazenly declared that in response to the increasing military activities of China, Russia and other countries in the Arctic region, the Canadian Navy is ready to deploy submarines in this region. At the same time, Canada is also preparing to negotiate with the United States, Britain and Australia, hoping to join the AUKUS military alliance.
Judging from Trudeau's statement, the purpose of AUKUS expansion and NATO's eastward expansion is the same, that is, to continuously strengthen the military strength of this military alliance and better confront China and Russia. If NATO is a tool used by the United States to confront Russia, then there is no doubt that AUKUS is used by the United States to contain China. With the rise of China, the United States has become a little powerless to confront China alone, so the United States has formed various "groups" and enlisted allies to confront China, for which the United States has also transferred attack nuclear submarines to Australia regardless of military risks. If Canada joins AUKUS in the future, the United States may also sell attack nuclear submarines to Canada to improve the Canadian Navy's long-range strike capabilities.
Regarding the expansion of AUKUS, China's Ministry of National Defense recently solemnly stated that this military alliance has seriously affected peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. Of course, verbal warnings are not enough, but also strong military means. A few days ago, the Chinese Navy publicly displayed the "Julang-2" submarine-launched intercontinental ballistic missile. As long as you dare to provoke China, harm China's interests, and threaten China's security, if you dare to come, China will dare to show its sword.