Iwaya Takeshi, Japanese Foreign Minister (via interpreter): For myself, personally, it is the first time I attend this meeting since I participated in the eighth 2+2 in Sydney in October of 2018 then as the Minister of Defense, and I'm excited that I've been given this opportunity. The international community has entered into an era of drastic transformation, and the severity of the security environment is rising in the Indo-Pacific. In this context, both Japan and Australia are countries with the will and capability to play leading roles in the realisation of a free and open Indo-Pacific. As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, next year, our security cooperation has become broader and stronger than ever before. Against such backdrop in the morning session of today's 2+2 meeting, based on our strong determination to redefine our cooperative relations in view of the next 50 years, after the 50th anniversary, and to jointly and forcefully contribute to the regional and global peace and stability, candid discussions took place.
First by sharing our recognition of the increased severity of the strategic environment in the Indo-Pacific, we confirmed our will to further strengthen the security cooperation bilaterally and trilaterally with the United States, and concurred on the following points. Based on the Australia-Japan Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation of 2022 we will further strengthen collective deterrence. We will promote discussions regarding potential contingencies that may impact the security of our countries and the region. This is meaningful for the security of Japan and Australia and for the peace and stability of the region. In order to support such initiative, and with the selection of the upgraded Mogami-class frigate for Australia's next generation general purpose frigate, we confirm to work towards improving Japan-Australia and Japan-Australia-US trilateral interoperability.
We further to promote our cooperation in the following areas, operational cooperation, including further utilisation of Japan-Australia reciprocal access agreement RAA, economic security, including building supply chain resilience, strategic communication and cyber. Following on the success of cooperation over the assistance to Japanese and Australian nationals in evacuation from New Caledonia in May last year, we agreed to continue assisting our nationals overseas, and will sign the Memorandum of Cooperation this afternoon during the working lunch to follow this press event. I look forward to exchanging views on the Indo-Pacific security environment and the contribution that Japan and Australia should achieve to secure regional and global peace and stability. Thank you.
Nakatani Gen, Japanese Defense Minister (via interpreter): I'm very pleased to have been able to meet with Deputy Prime Minister Marles and Foreign Minister Wong in person today and to hold the Japan-Australia 2+2. For my part, this is my second participation in the Japan-Australia 2+2, the first being ten years ago in November 2015 in Sydney, when I attended as Minister of Defense. So, this is my second participation after ten years, compared with that time, Japan's security environment has become even more severe. Against this backdrop today, we had candid discussions with the two Australian ministers, special strategic partner with whom we fully share values and strategic objectives to confirm progress in security and defence cooperation and to discuss further strengthening thereof. So this was a very significant discussion that we had. Furthermore, taking the opportunity of the selection of the upgraded Mogami class frigate as Australia's next general purpose vessel, we agreed to broaden and deepen Japan-Australia defence cooperation. First, in regard to Australia's general purpose frigate, we welcomed the decision of the Australian Government and confirmed that our two countries will closely work together toward steady progress, including the signing of the contract early next year.
We also agreed to advance cooperation, not only regarding the vessels themselves, but across a wide range of areas in defence equipment and technology, including collaboration on advanced capabilities such as unmanned systems, as well as accelerating cooperation between our defence industries. As initiatives to enhance the interoperability of the Self Defense Force and the Australian Defence Force, we agreed to advance consultations on the scope, objectives and performances of operational cooperation, and to continue joint exercises across all services and domains. We also shared the view of valuing the fact that more than 40 joint activities have been conducted under the Japan-Australia RAA, further energizing our cooperation. Furthermore, we reaffirmed the importance of acting together to deter unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force, and agreed to strengthen cooperation through deepened discussions on deterrence activities, including information sharing. We also discussed the progress of Japan-Australia-US cooperation and welcomed that joint F-35 exercises will be conducted in Japan this year and in Australia next year, confirming commitment to further strengthening trilateral cooperation. In addition, we reaffirmed the strengthening of cooperation with partners such as the Philippines, Republic of Korea, ASEAN and the Pacific Island countries. After the working lunch, I will return with the Deputy Prime Minister Marles for our bilateral Defence Ministers' Meeting. I look forward to continuing our candid discussions on Japan-Australia defence cooperation, following today's 2+2 with Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Marles with Foreign Minister Wong, who like to work hand-in-hand and work together. Thank you.
Richard Marles, Deputy Prime Minister: Well, thank you very much Ministers. Takeshi, Gen, thank you for hosting Penny and I, here today in Tokyo for the annual 2+2 meeting between Australia and Japan. It is genuinely a delight to be here on this occasion. There is no country with whom we have a greater strategic alignment than Japan. We're both democracies. We both support a global rules based order. We are both allies of the United States. And as we have discussed today, in an increasingly complex and difficult world, it is also deeply reassuring and gratifying that at this moment in our relationship, there is no country in the world with whom we have greater strategic trust. With the bringing into force of the Reciprocal Access Agreement between our two countries in the middle of 2023 we have literally seen a blossoming of our defence and security relationship. As Gen said, more than 40 activities have now been undertaken under the banner of the RAA. We have seen bilateral activities between ourselves and the United States be trilateralised between our three nations, which has been so important. We've seen four port visits to Japan from Australian- Royal Australian Navy vessels, and indeed, later this month, HMAS Brisbane, an Australian destroyer will be coming to Yokosuka, and for the first time undergoing maintenance in Japan, which is an enormous step forward in terms of our defence relationship. We're also working much more closely together in terms of our joint operation commands with respective liaison officers in each other's commands, which again greatly brings those two commands more closely together, and enables us to engage in operations much more closely together. And so, we are really grateful for the way in which the relationship is moving forward. And today, we have agreed to elevate the special strategic partnership between our two countries, looking forward to next year, as the 50th anniversary of the Basic Treaty on Friendship and Cooperation in a way which will see us to for exercises, for operations, cooperate more in respect of logistics, cooperate more in respect of cyber and cooperate more across all our domains. This is a really important step forward that we are taking between our two countries.
Of course, all of this happens in the context of the decision that we made last month to select Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Mogami class vessel as Australia's future general purpose frigate. Can I say, in respect of that, that this was a capability based decision first and foremost. We made this decision because this is the best frigate for Australia going forward, and this is the most cost effective solution for Australia going forward. And we are really excited about the entry of the Mogami class vessel into Australia's fleet. And later this afternoon, we are going to Yokosuka, and will have the opportunity to go aboard JS Mikuma, I hope I am saying it correctly, but a Mogami class vessel in the Japanese Self Defense Force, and that is going to be a fantastic experience. Of course, in choosing this capability, in choosing this platform, the basis of capability, we're also really excited about what it means in terms of deepening our bilateral relationship and deepening the cooperation between our two defence industrial bases- and that forms part of the conversation that we had today, and forms part of the outcome of this meeting. And I'd also like to just acknowledge the Japanese government, it mattered to Australia that whilst this was a bid that was being put forward by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, that it was being put forward very much with the support of the Japanese government. And so to know the Japanese government is standing there is deeply reassuring for Australia in the context of moving forward on this and again, as part of the conversations we've had today, we have agreed to move out of pace in respect of the contract negotiations which will be concluded in the first quarter of next year. This is a moment where our bilateral relationship is really at a peak. We have never been doing more together than we are right now and in an increasingly complex and difficult world, I know that I very much speak on behalf of Penny when I say, that we are very grateful for the personal relationship with you Takeshi and you Gen, and it gives us great reassurance. And of course, as a nation, we are deeply grateful for our relationship with Japan.
Penny Wong, Foreign Minister: Thank you very much, can I first thank Minister Iwaya, Minister Nakatani, thank you so much for hosting us, for your generous hospitality, thank you for the partnership that you both bring to these discussions, which are so close and so open and reflective of the values of trust that our two nations share. May I also to take the opportunity to thank all of the officials from both countries who worked so hard to bring this 2+2 together, for the collaboration that we see. Since becoming Foreign Minister, I've visited Japan now six times, and I've also had the privilege of connecting with Foreign Minister Iwaya on several other occasions. And I can say to you that over that time, what I have been very aware of, is that our relationship has only grown stronger. Has only grown stronger. We do face very difficult, challenging strategic circumstances, and as we face those circumstances, what we know, what we know is our strategic alignment and our strategic trust have never been stronger or deeper. We share a vision, a vision of a peaceful, stable and prosperous region where sovereignty of all countries is respected, and we are committed to working together to achieve this. And this really underpinned our conversations today. We have progressed discussions to elevate Our Special Strategic Partnership. We want greater ambition into new areas of collaboration. We're pleased with the extent of the progress on the cover in our defence cooperation, and we want to do more. But we also know we need to expand our cooperation across economic security, cyber security, the diversification of supply chains - we need to work together to build resilience and respond to emerging threats.
If I may make some very brief comments on economic security. We have worked together on our mutual economic security for decades. That is how we see our partnership on energy, I think, continued reliable supply from Australia to Japan, and the continued investment, long term investment on Japan in Australia's energy resources, particularly LNG, has been a crucial part of our relationship. We want the next stage of this to be the economic security in the area of critical minerals and we see that as of great importance. We have also agreed to deepen our engagement in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, acknowledging our collective responsibility to act as a stabilising force in those regions. We recognise the critical importance to ASEAN countries of the ASEAN power grid, and we are committed to working together to support ASEAN efforts to realise its objectives. We reiterated the importance of the United States as a principal ally, and we committed to working more closely in multilateral and regional domains. We've also expressed concerns over destabilising activities in the East and South China Seas, and reaffirmed our long-standing position to oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo. We have reaffirmed today our commitment to the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, and strongly condemn North Korea's continued provocative actions, as well as Russia's ongoing illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine. I'm also very pleased that my friend and colleague, Minister Iwaya and I will be signing a memorandum of cooperation to work together to assist our nationals to evacuate during a crisis. Minister Iwaya referenced the collaboration on the ground in New Caledonia, and I'm very pleased that we are making sure that this becomes a more formal practice. We know Australia and Japan face similar challenges. We know Australia and Japan share common interests, and we know now more than ever, that we look to each other. Thank you.
