Tokyo (agencies)
The day before yesterday, the Defense Ministers of Japan, the United States and Australia signed an agreement to cooperate in the field of new technologies, as part of these countries’ efforts to strengthen security relations.
According to the Japanese Kyodo News Agency, the three ministers said in a joint statement following their meeting in the US state of Hawaii that their country’s forces aim to conduct initial air and missile defense training with live ammunition in 2024, within the framework of regular, multilateral military training. The tripartite talks between Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and his American counterpart, Lloyd Austin, and Australian Richard Marles came ahead of a four-way meeting in which Philippine Defense Minister Gilberto Teodoro also participated.
The three ministers said in the statement that they will discuss in depth opportunities for cooperation in the field of advanced technology, including cooperatively produced combat aircraft and aerospace composite materials. The three ministers also agreed to carry out joint trilateral training with F-35 fighter aircraft in each of their countries during the next two years until 2026. Regarding the Ukraine war, the three defense ministers condemned the growing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, including Pyongyang’s exports and Moscow’s purchase of ballistic missiles from Pyongyang in violation of Security Council resolutions. The ministers condemned Russia’s use of missiles against Ukraine.
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