SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Saturday said their countries had agreed to deepen and expand their cooperation to respond to pressing security challenges in their region.
Kishida also said he wanted to reinforce the Japan’s defence capabilities within five years, and would examine all options for national defence, including “counterstrike capabilities”.
The two countries announced a critical minerals partnership to build secure supply chains for the materials needed in Japan’s advanced manufacturing industry.
The two leaders met in Perth, the capital of Western Australia.
(Reporting by John Mair in Sydney; Editing by Lincoln Feast)
