Japan-Australia accord key to East Asia stability

It is a new development that should serve as an important foundation for peace and stability in the East Asian region as well as the international community.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and visiting Australian Prime Minister John Howard signed a Japan-Australia joint declaration on security cooperation on Tuesday.

Japan has maintained security cooperation relations with the United States, which is Japan's only military ally, and this is the first time it has formed such a relationship with another country.

In the East Asian region, there are a number of issues, including North Korea's nuclear weapons development and China's military buildup, that threaten the peace and stability of the region.

There also are a number of destabilizing factors for the international community, including the increasingly chaotic situation in Iraq, the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan and Iran's nuclear program.

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Shared values

Though Tokyo and Canberra have maintained close economic relations since the 1957 Japan-Australia Commerce Agreement, the addition of enhanced relations on security is a reflection of rapidly changing international realities.

Japan and Australia are both countries of the market economy. The two countries share the same values, such as freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Both countries are the United States' military allies.

In the trilateral security relationship of Japan, Australia and the United States, the cooperation between Tokyo and Canberra has been relatively weak. Enhancement of such relations will contribute to peace and stability, not only in East Asia but also the whole international community.

Australia is not Japan's military ally, so it is difficult for the two nations to undertake a joint operation militarily even after agreeing on enhanced security cooperation. However, the two nations have already achieved a number of cooperative results.

For example, when Japan dispatched Ground Self-Defense Force troops to southern Iraq to extend humanitarian and reconstruction assistance for the country, the Australian military force secured the safety of Japanese troops. The two countries are key members of the Proliferation Security Initiative against North Korea and other countries.

The concerted efforts of the Self-Defense Forces and the Australian forces produced good results in relief efforts for the victims of the devastating tsunami triggered by a massive earthquake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra in December 2004.

The joint declaration stipulates stronger cooperation in various fields, including international peacekeeping activities, efforts to stop proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, antiterrorism activities and securing marine and air transportation safety. The two countries will compile an action plan for such items.

Deepening such relations will lead to peace and safety in the region.

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Economic ties also important

The issue from now on is what kind of fruit the cooperation between the two countries can produce based on the joint declaration. To achieve this, Tokyo and Canberra have to deepen their strategic dialogues.

The two countries already have two dialogue frameworks between their respective defense and foreign ministers and the joint declaration stipulates the creation of a joint dialogue attended by the two defense chiefs and two foreign ministers in a so-called "two-plus-two" framework. This is the second time for Japan to set up "two-plus-two" talks, following those with the United States.

It is also important to strengthen economic relations between the two countries. To create strategic relations with Australia, Japan also has to push negotiations for a bilateral economic partnership agreement to build two stable pillars of security and economy in their relations.