By Helen Clark
The two countries plan to facilitate joint military exercises.
Done with her MIKTA meeting in Seoul, Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Saturday in Iwaki in Fukushima prefecture during Japan’s biennial conference for Pacific leaders. The two countries are hoping to conclude a deal on exchanging military personnel before the end of 2015.
Australia-Japan ties have strengthened in recent years, with a free trade agreement officially beginning this year. The Japan-Australia Economic Partnership (JAEPA) will apparently see 97 percent of Australian exports tariff-free when the agreement is fully operational.
Perhaps more compelling is talk of even closer military ties. Though the trilateral alliance (Trilateral Strategic Dialogues began in 2006) with the U.S. also is not entirely new and talks over Australia purchasing Japanese submarines are ongoing there are hopes now that Australia may sign a deal by year’s end to allow joint military exercises between the two nations. Right now it remains hard for Australian military personnel to enter Japan, and vice-versa.
Read the full story at The Diplomat