Australia, US and Japan strengthen military cooperation

Japanese troops will begin regular deployments in northern Australia as part of military cooperation with Australia and the US, Australia’s Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Sunday.

Around 2,000 US Marines are already hosted in Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory, for six months of the year amid growing concern among Washington and its allies about China’s growing military power in the Indo-Pacific region.

“Today we are announcing that there will be regular deployments of Japan’s amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade to Australia,” Marles said at a televised press conference in Darwin, alongside US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Japanese Defence Minister Gen Nakatani.

“Having a more forward-leaning opportunity for greater training with Japan and the US together is a really fantastic opportunity for our defence,” Marles said on Sunday, according to a transcript.

The deployment has special significance given Darwin was a major base for Allied forces in World War Two and was heavily bombed by Japanese forces. The wartime air raids on the port city are sometimes described as Australia’s Pearl Harbour.

Austin also said on Sunday he was confident the US will provide the capabilities set out in the AUKUS deal, which will see Australia buy US nuclear submarines and develop a new class of nuclear-powered submarines with the US and Britain.