Australia, Japan sign defense, security pact

Morrison is the most anti Chinese PM Australia has ever known. Fortunately, there is a federal election this year and he will no doubt be ousted.

When did being opposed to China's aggressions, territorial ambitions and the genocide of the Uyghurs become politically disqualifying? It strikes me that at this juncture in history the free nations need leaders willing to stand up to China and tell them no.

Morrison is the most anti Chinese PM Australia has ever known. Fortunately, there is a federal election this year and he will no doubt be ousted.

Labor learnt their lesson over Sam Dastyari and have purged themselves of the pro-CCP puppets. So you can expect the same from a government led by Albanese, and rightfully so.

Excellent idea. Now all of the other countries are going to have to do the same. Maybe it'll be called the Asian Pacific Treaty Organization. Just as NATO is a counter balance to an aggressive Russia, there needs to be a counter balance to an aggressive China. Without such an organization in Asia, you can expect trouble.

What makes my eyes roll is that the very same commenters griping about Mr. Kishida not going to the US and Australia due to the pandemic situation at home would be equally indignant and gripe on this very same discussion board if Mr. Kishida had left the country to visit foreign leaders while the people at home suffered with a pandemic. I can hear their complaints now, "he abandoned Japan". It appears Mr. Kishida made a choice to remain with his people during stressful times but some here are apparently not happy unless they have something to complain about.

The relationship between Japan and Australia continues to mature in a number of ways as they grow closer. Both nations spearheading the CPTPP after the US withdrawal ensuring it was implemented.

Co-operation through QUAD and closer bilateral defense ties mean more security for both nations.

I look forward to an eventual mutual defense treaty between them at some point in the future.

Maybe it'll be called the Asian Pacific Treaty Organization. 

Been there, done that. It was called SEATO for South East Asian Treaty Organization, but it fell apart when some members became communist states.

Aly: Canada and the NZ are both anti nuclear and will not allow transit in their water of nuclear power vessels.

During peace time. In a time of war such vessels will get full access to defend Canadian and new Zealand assets, people and territory.

Morrison is the most anti Chinese PM Australia has ever known

ngl, his veins looked like they were gonna pop out of his neck during that presser regarding the aussie flag and slitting throat incident. he was ABSOULTELY enraged at china

which is so dumb considering this could have been done within the framework of the 5 Eyes, even though Canada and NZ do not want them.

so you just stated why different agreements are required for different scopes of operation, be it security, trade, defense etc. some countries might not agree on certain aspects now, but might want to in the future if circumstances/parties change, and vice versa.

Aly: Also NZ are no longer a full partner in Anzus since the 90,s because of their anti nuclear policy. NZ stated in late 2021 their because it involves cooperation in nuclear Sub that NZ will not support Anzus

So,,,has China issued a statement blasting this news yet?

@Desert Tortoise

Well said!

Just ignore the bad commenters and focus on the news.

Aly: Canada and the NZ are both anti nuclear and will not allow transit in their water of nuclear power vessels.

@John-san

And I thought that Japan was antinuclear also, upholding the 3 non-nuclear principles.

Silly me.

Prime Minister Morrison is setting an excellent example to the world as regards how to stand up to the bully .....

He states very clearly how "democracies who are committed to the rule of law, human rights, free trade, and a free and open Indo-Pacific" should join forces and work together. It is only by taking on China and exposing all of it's appalling actions in regards the 11 separate international disputes with which it is not only involved but actively provoking, that the rest of the civilised and democratic countries of the world can begin to bring about the necessary changes which can force China to reassess it's deceitful, cruel and disgraceful image which it currently projects to the world.

Japan will bleat "we are being bullied, help", then expect Australians to defend Japan, while Japanese sit at home watching Sony TV.

absolutely.

Does this mean the issue with the death penalty was solved? Or is it going to come back endlessly because the pacts being signed just ignore it?

Since the end of WWII, because japan started it ( in the pacific) they have been desperate to ger protection from the people they once attacked. And yet they act as if tbey are big dogs.

Barf barf.

Since the end of WWII, because japan started it ( in the pacific) they have been desperate to ger protection from the people they once attacked. And yet they act as if tbey are big dogs

Sigh, you sound like my Chinese born wife! Japan learned a very hard lesson in their loss to the Allies and are a very different nation than the one that fought WWII. Please give the Japanese credit where it is due. No, they are not perfect but they are not the Japan the Allies fought so bitterly. It is a much better world in that respect today.

Is China a lot stronger than we know?

The public is not privy to what the various intelligence services know about new upcoming Chinese systems. Military planners in the west often base their development/procurement decisions and basing choices on that intelligence. Just from my own years in the military the spooks always knew about new systems coming down the pike years before they became public knowledge. That heads up gave NATO and US planners time to prepare their own systems and tactics.

What is in the public realm are two new reactors being built to produce weapons grade plutonium and two big fields of ICBM silos with hundreds of tubes for new missiles. Not too hard to guess what that means. A major expansion in China's nuclear arsenal is coming. The newly expanded shipyard for building aircraft carriers on an island in the Yangtze River off Shanghai is visible on Google Earth and is well documented in the press. There are some detailed satellite photos of the carrier under construction and hull sections for a second carrier being built alongside, ready to lift into the drydock after the first carrier is floated out. Other photos show their E-2 copy and very US Navy looking catapult bars on the nose landing gear of the J-20 and J-35 fighters. Those will fly from their new carrier. The catapult testing facility is not only highly visible but has been documented on Chinese TV with the Chinese engineers stating their preference for an electromagnetic cat over a traditional steam cat. The direction the Chinese military is taking is no big secret if you are looking.

What is also fascinating is how Australia's relationship with Japan has evolved. I remember at least one newspaper headline announcing Hirohito's death said "Last WWII Butcher Dies". A leader of Australia's Returned Servicemen's League said "going to Hirohito's funeral would be like going to the funeral of the devil" ! In the end Australia and New Zealand both sent their Governors General to the funeral where UK sent Prince Phillip, their PM and FM and the US sent its President. New Zealand also sent their FM while Australia sent their Trade Minister. Generally negative views of Japan prevailed. Not so today. You can thank Baby Ping Ping for that.

Morrison said the agreement "will form an important part of Australia and Japan's response to the uncertainty we now face

Is it China’s strength or regional insecurities?

Is the US-Japan defense treaty, QUAD, AUKUS etc. not good enough that they need more assurance?

Is China a lot stronger than we know?

Are Japan and Australia having doubts in US’s commitments to them?

Does the US not appear to be as solid as it once was?

When is the UK-Japan security treaty going to be signed? Canada-Japan? Are all these pacts - QUAD and all the other defense agreements -necessary?

I think that Australia must be mad to sign up to this. Japan will bleat "we are being bullied, help", then expect Australians to defend Japan, while Japanese sit at home watching Sony TV.

Aly: Canada and the NZ are both anti nuclear and will not allow transit in their water of nuclear power vessels.

Canada is not anti nuclear John. I wish it was but the number of nuclear reactors in Canada is significant. Canada does not need nuclear weapons as any military threat to Canada will be met by the US. NZ is a different case, but even if it will not allow nukes in its territorial waters this does not mean that a consensus cannot be reached through the 5 eyes. My argument is simple. cut through the red tape and work with the institutions in place instead of forming new ones that will be vulnerable to international criticism

Aly: Also NZ are no longer a full partner in Anzus since the 90,s because of their anti nuclear policy. NZ stated in late 2021 their because it involves cooperation in nuclear Sub that NZ will not support Anzus

NZ has been an outlier in many ways since Adern took over. While I initially cheered her on very hard due to her progressive and embracive policies of immigration and tolerance I now realize that on the international stage she actually does more harm than good and that when she is gone NZ will revert back to a more traditional stance.

Morrison described the latest treaty with Japan as historic and said “it will, for the first time, provide a clear framework for enhanced interoperability and cooperation between our two forces."

Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing. - Macbeth

In September, Australia signed the so-called Aukus trilateral security pact with the United States and Britain under which those two countries pledged to help Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines.

which is so dumb considering this could have been done within the framework of the 5 Eyes, even though Canada and NZ do not want them.

Plus there are SO MANY different treaties and pacts between these countries that it just gets ridiculous...

ABCANZ Armies

AUSCANNZUKUS (navies)

Air and Space Interoperability Council (air forces)

Border Five

Five Country Conference (immigration)

Five Nations Passport Group

The Technical Cooperation Program (technology and science)

Combined Communications-Electronics Board (communication-electronics)

Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) Strategic dialogue among Australia, India, Japan and US

AUKUS Trilateral security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States

ANZUS Trilateral security pact between Australia, New Zealand, and the United States

Just work within the framework of the 5 eyes and cut out all that red tape and pork barrel spending on different security pacts and simplify it within the 5 eyes framework. Had this been done through the 5 eyes there would have probably been much less opposition.

so you just stated why different agreements are required for different scopes of operation, be it security, trade, defense etc. some countries might not agree on certain aspects now, but might want to in the future if circumstances/parties change, and vice versa.

You don't need all these different groups- much of this is overlap. and my main point is that AUKUS CAN be done within the framework of the 5 eyes. Just because Canada and NZ don't want them doesn'T mean it can't still be done within the framework. this is after all about cooperation

Morrison is the most anti Chinese PM Australia has ever known. Fortunately, there is a federal election this year and he will no doubt be ousted.