JAKARTA- Japan and Australia have agreed that the Australian military will participate in large-scale joint command post exercises with the Japan Self-Defense Forces and the US military for the first time, the Japanese Defense Ministry said .

During their talks in Tokyo, Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and his Australian counterpart Richards Marles, noting China’s growing influence in the region, pledged to increase trilateral security cooperation with the United States , indicated the ministry.

The Australian armed forces will participate in two Japanese-US command post exercises, “Yama Sakura” starting in late November and “Keen Edge” in February, according to the ministry reported by ANTARA, Thursday, October 19.

Australia’s participation is “essential to strengthening command and control functions between Japanese, Australian and US forces”, Kihara told reporters after the meeting.

Kihara also welcomed the agreement on a joint laser technology development project between the Australian armed forces and Japan’s Mitsubishi Electric Corp.

The project, in which Mitsubishi Electric’s Australian subsidiary is participating, aims to help the Australian military improve its surveillance and other capabilities.

The meeting between the defense ministers of Japan and Australia comes as the two countries, which are close allies of the United States, have strengthened their security partnership in recent years, amid Beijing’s military assertiveness has increased, particularly in the East and South China Seas.

In August, the reciprocal access agreement between Japan and Australia came into effect, allowing faster transfer of defense personnel between the two countries and easing restrictions on the transport of weapons and supplies for joint exercises and disaster relief operations.

Kihara, known as a pro-Taiwan lawmaker, met Marles, who is also Australia’s deputy prime minister, for the first time as Japan’s defense minister since Kihara took office in a cabinet reshuffle in September.

Japan and Australia held essentially “two plus two” security talks in Tokyo on Friday involving their foreign and defense ministers, but postponed them due to the escalating conflict between Israel and the group Hamas militant, according to government sources.

Both countries are part of the Quad framework, alongside the United States and India, which aims to strengthen cooperation in areas such as the economy. The group has gained traction as a counterweight to China, particularly at a time of growing Sino-U.S. rivalry.

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