Defence Minister Richard Marles has sent a clear signal that Australia would like Japan to be included in the AUKUS pact with the United States and the United Kingdom, declaring that security ties between Tokyo and Canberra were becoming "indispensable".
Both countries have also committed to more complex and sophisticated defence exercises, including potentially rotating Japanese F-35 fighter jets in Australia in the future, in another sign of strategic convergence between the two countries.
Mr Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong met with their Japanese counterparts, Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada and Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi in Tokyo on Friday for their annual meeting dubbed the 'two-plus-two'.
Mr Marles used a speech while there to declare that he was intent on "growing defence industry integration with Japan: bilaterally, through our trilateral mechanisms with the United States, and, when ready, via our advanced capabilities work in AUKUS as well".
While there is no chance that Japan will look to acquire nuclear-powered submarines under AUKUS, Australian officials have made it clear that it could be included in separate work under the arrangement to develop advanced defence technology capabilities.
The Defence Minister said he was focused on ensuring the AUKUS pact delivered results in defence technology cooperation, but said after that all three countries would like to involve Japan.
"We have to focus on making sure it's actually starting to deliver," he said.
"But when it's delivering, I absolutely think there's a chance to involve Japan in the work we're doing and I think that view is shared by both the UK and the US."
Mr Marles also talked up the rapidly intensifying bilateral defence ties between Australia and Japan.
The Defence Minister said both countries had "benefited from the United States' network of alliances" but were now "poised to build the Japan-Australia relationship as a powerful force in its own right" — citing two landmark security pacts signed this year.
"The Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation and the Reciprocal Access Agreement mean we now have the road map to take our partnership to a very different place — a better place," he said.
"Our partnership is becoming indispensable."
This deepening relationship was at a time when China was embarking on the "largest military build-up since World War 2", which was "without transparency or reassurance to the region of China's strategic intent," Mr Marles said.
"This is the most significant factor shaping the strategic landscape in which Australia, and Japan exist."
RAAF's F-35s to Japan for exercises
The joint statement from the defence and foreign ministers of both countries commits both nations to "accelerating the consideration" of bringing Japan's F-35s to Australia "with an eye to future rotational deployment of Japan's fighters including F-35s in Australia".
It also points out that Royal Australian Air Force F-35s will go to Japan next year for the first time to participate in military exercises.
The joint statement says both countries also want to discuss "enhancing the complexity of Japan Self Defence Forces' participation in Exercise Talisman Sabre" — a major multilateral training exercise in northern Australia.
It also flags conducting "submarine search and rescue training between the Japan Maritime Self Defence Force and the Royal Australian Navy" as well as "amphibious operations, exercises and guided weapon live-fire drills".
