State Department Sees Japanese Role in US-Australia Defense Pact
US military personnel gather to board the USS Wasp aircraft carrier at the US naval base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.
Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/BloombergJapan would be a “capable participant” in the evolving US-UK-Australia defense partnership because of its investments in advanced defense systems, industrial-base improvements and cybersecurity protocols, according to an unreleased State Department assessment to Congress.
Japan “expressed interest in a range” of projects underway as part of the second leg of the so-called Aukus agreement that’s focused on technology sharing including “long-range anti-submarine warfare and autonomous air platforms,” according to the four-page document, a copy of which was made available to Bloomberg News.