Japan, U.S., Australia, Philippines Vow to Deepen Security Cooperation

   Tokyo, May 3 (Jiji Press)--The defense ministers of Japan, the United States, Australia and the Philippines agreed to deepen their security cooperation at a meeting in Hawaii on Thursday, an apparent effort to counter China's advances in the East China Sea and South China Sea.
   Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin separately met and agreed to strengthen command and control coordination between Japan's Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. military.
   Kihara and Austin agreed that Japan and the United States will hold talks on defense industrial cooperation at an early date. They also agreed that the two countries will discuss extended U.S. deterrence, including its nuclear umbrella, when their foreign and defense ministers meet next.
   Separately, the Japanese, U.S. and Australian defense ministers signed an agreement to jointly promote research and development on advanced defense technologies.
   In a joint statement, the three ministers welcomed planned trilateral exercises involving the three countries' F-35 jet fighters.

(2024/05/03-20:11)

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