Japan, Australia agree to beef up security cooperation, info sharing

TOKYO, Dec. 18 Kyodo - Japan and Australia agreed to deepen cooperation such as in international peace activities and promote bilateral information sharing as their foreign and defense ministers met in Tokyo on Thursday evening.
The two countries also agreed to work closely together to tackle the ongoing
global financial crisis in order to contain potential adverse consequences to
them, Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith told reporters after the
so-called ''two-plus-two'' meeting.
''Australia and Japan have a longstanding, comprehensive economic, strategic
and security partnership. Whilst the economic aspect of that partnership is
well understood, I think it's the case that the strategic and security aspects
of our partnership are underappreciated,'' Smith said.
Prior to the meeting, Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada and his
Australian counterpart Joel Fitzgibbon signed a new Memorandum of Defense
Cooperation that spells out the enhancement of cooperation in multilateral
frameworks and collaboration in strategic discussions, and ship and aircraft
exercises.
''This marks another milestone in our defense relationship. We can now move
forward in tangible and practical ways to ensure that we have closer defense
cooperation in promoting peace and stability in our region,'' Fitzgibbon said
of the memorandum at a news conference.
After the two-plus-two meeting, the defense and foreign ministers from both
countries issued a joint statement confirming principles toward creating a
legal framework for sharing classified information to enhance closer bilateral
and trilateral security cooperation.
Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone told reporters that the ministers
agreed on the importance of such information sharing ''in an appropriate
manner,'' saying the two countries will begin preparations toward creating a
legal framework for that purpose.
The two countries also agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation in such fields
as nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament, as well as humanitarian
assistance, according to the joint statement.
Australia reiterated its support for Japan's stance of not giving aid to North
Korea until it makes progress in resolving past abductions of Japanese
nationals and expressed disappointment at the lack of results at the latest
six-party talks on denuclearizing North Korea last week, a Japanese Foreign
Ministry official said.
Smith also said Australia, which was recently floated as a candidate among
non-participants of the six-way talks to shoulder Japan's share of fuel aid to
North Korea, will not consider giving such assistance until North Korea and the
other five nations reach agreement on a protocol for verifying the North's
nuclear programs.
Nakasone said he thought it was good that Japan and Australia, both located in
the same region, held consultations not just on bilateral issues but also
regional and international ones.
''I am convinced that today's meeting further strengthened the Japan-Australia
strategic partnership. As allies of the United States, we would like to
continue to work with Australia on tackling global issues,'' he said.
The next round of talks will be held in Australia next year.
Earlier in the evening, Hamada and Fitzgibbon held separate talks in which the
Japanese defense minister noted Tokyo's continued contribution to U.S.-led
antiterrorism efforts in and around Afghanistan through the Maritime
Self-Defense Force's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean, a Japanese Defense
Ministry official said.
The new defense memorandum updates the Memorandum on Defense Exchanges, signed
by the two countries in September 2003. The expansion of cooperation agreed
under the new defense memorandum consists of three pillars.
The first is the promotion of cooperation in international peace cooperation
activities, such as U.N. peacekeeping operations, emergency relief activities
and efforts to prevent the proliferation of banned weapons under the so-called
Proliferation Security Initiative.
The second pillar is strengthening security collaboration in the trilateral
framework involving the United States, as well as cooperation and discussions
in multilateral security frameworks.
The third is the expanded unit-level exchanges through the participation in
bilateral and multilateral exercises, and through exercises involving the air
and naval forces of the two countries.
The two-plus-two security talks, involving the foreign and defense ministers
from both sides, resemble similar talks on security and foreign policy issues
between Japan and the United States.
This was the second round of the Japan-Australia talks, after they were
launched in Japan in June last year.
==Kyodo