Britain and Australia are supportive of Japanese involvement in the AUKUS
The Indo-Pacific region has been a matter of great interest for all major powers in the world, making it a geopolitical contest amongst states. The trilateral security partnership between the United States, United Kingdom and Australia is considering a potential partnership with Japan. As per the media reports, during a state visit to the White House, the U.S. invited the Japanese Prime Minister to join the second pillar of the AUKUS pact, which is building cooperation for emerging defence technologies. The first pillar was the U.S. and Britain’s help to Australia in developing its nuclear-powered submarine fleet.
In a joint statement, U.S. President Biden and Kishida announced cooperation on defence technologies such as “AI, quantum, semiconductors, biotechnology and clean energy.” While some consider it an entry of Japan into AUKUS, Tokyo has not announced an official commitment as of now. While Britain and Australia support Japanese involvement in the AUKUS, reports suggest that the cooperation should be on a project-to-project basis, not an expansion of the AUKUS.
AUKUS was formed in 2021 between the three countries to counter China’s growing power and assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region. Although no official announcement has been made yet, Global Times, the state-run media outlet, has said that expanding AUKUS with Japan as its newest partner would lead to building an “Asian NATO,” potentially destabilising the region.
Japan is one of the most technologically developed countries in the world, with the fourth largest economy. The country has been facing threats from its neighbours, China and North Korea. Due to this, Tokyo transformed its defence and national security strategy last year. Due to Japan’s proximity to the West and its growing animosity with China, analysts consider Japan the most suitable member to join the AUKUS partnership in the region.
Nitish Chavan
