Policy Recommendations on
Japan-Australia Security Cooperation
The Eighth Japan-Australia Track 1.5 Dialogue,
co-hosted by the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA)
and the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI),Tokyo, 20 -21 June 2013

* This policy recommendation was prepared by JIIA, based on the discussion ofthe above 1.5 Track Dialogue.

Introduction
In June 2013, a group of security and regional experts discussed measures
to enhance security cooperation between Japan and Australia at the Eighth
Japan-Australia Track 1.5 Dialogue, co-hosted by the Japan Institute ofInternational Affairs(JIIA) and the Australian Strategic Policy Institute(ASPI).
The dialogue focused on three topics: 1) security trends and the environment
surrounding Japan and Australia, 2) defence and security policy developments
in Japan and Australia, and 3) Japan-Australia security and defence
cooperation.

1. Security Trends and the Surrounding Environment
In recent years, the strategic environment has been changing in theAsia-Pacific and East Asia in particular. In terms of long-term security trends,
there are three major uncertainties. The first is China's future, especially interms of whether they can overcome the middle income trap and various othersocial problems to ensure its political stability. The second is the future of Japan:1

Whether the current Japanese policies succeed or not will have major
implications for the regional security environment. The third is how long andwhether the US Asia-Pacific policy of rebalancing will continue.
Focusing on the short-term trends, we need to consider the following
five points: 1) Japan-China relations, or more specifically China’s growing
expansion and assertiveness in the East China Sea and South China Sea, 2) theNorth Korean military’s development of nuclear weapons and missiles,
especially the nuclear tipped ICBM and their provocations toward South Korea
and Japan, 3) the defense budget trend line, especially the US one, does shapecountries’ perspectives in the region and eventually produces an effect in theregional security environment, and 4) the US-Japan alliance and political andmilitary cooperation there in dealing with China and North Korea, 5) objective
assessments and cautious thinking about nuclear deterrence and conventional
deterrence in the absence of crisis management systems in the East Asia Sea andSouth China Sea.

1)China’s attempts to change the status quo with the use of paramilitaryforces in the East Asia and South China Sea pose serious risks and threats toregional security and stability. Japan should carefully observe China’s
growing expansion and assertiveness while enhancing cooperation withallies and like-minded partners, such as Australia, to enhance mutual
understanding of the situation and, if necessary and feasible, security anddefense cooperation in East Asia and the South China Sea.

2) North Korean nuclear/missile development may undermine U.S. credibilityof extended deterrence and pose risks from North Korea’s complacentactions. Japan and Australia should observe North Korean military2development and deal with their provocations toward our friends and allies,in cooperation with the US.

3) The defense budget trend line, especially the US one, shapes countries’
perspectives and helps to ensure the stability of regional security. Japan andAustralia, as important US allies, should carefully observe the US defense
budget trend line and support, as much as possible, the US rebalancing
policy toward Asia to ensure regional stability.

4) Japan and the US should fundamentally review the framework for defense
cooperation and foster the process of re-examing the US-Japan Defense
Guidelines of 1997. The Japan-US alliance has to deal with very different
security challenges today including North Korean provocations and thepossibility of North Korean collapse, China’s growing expansion in the East
China Sea and South China Sea, how to ensure assistance from the US, andnew areas of cooperation such as deployed missile defense, space, andcyber security issues.

5) The US hub-and-spoke bilateral alliance system and its extended deterrence
are increasingly challenged by North Korean provocations and militarydevelopment of nuclear weapons and missiles, as well as China’s growing
assertiveness and steady expansion. As key US allies, Japan and Australia
should ensure the US rebalancing to Asia including nuclear andconventional deterrence for the stability of regional security, while
enhancing CBMs and cooperative multilateral security frameworks.

32.

Security and Defense Cooperation
Significant recent developments in Japan-Australia security and defense

cooperation include active participation in international peace cooperation
activities, intensifying defense exchange activities since the mid-1990s,including high-level exchanges and joint exercises, and also success inconsolidating the framework for policy coordination and collaboration. The
most recent of these are the 2+2 document “Japan-Australia Cooperating forPeace and Stability: Common Vision and Objectives”, and the achievement of
the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA). Since the 2007 Joint
Declaration on Security Cooperation, Japan-Australia security cooperation has
shown positive developments.
Japan and Australia are natural strategic partners sharing common values,
interests and strategic objectives ensuring long-lasting peace, stability andprosperity in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. Japan and Australia should
foster security and defense cooperation further for the following reasons.

1) Japan and Australia are maritime nations in the Asia-Pacific andlike-minded partners sharing common values and interests including acommitment to liberal democracy, the rule of law and human rights, andcan help maintain the open, liberal and rule-based international order.

2) As key US allies, Japan and Australia can actively and significantly work
together mutually to support the US presence and capabilities in the region.
Both Japan and Australia can play stabilizing and enabling roles in supportof US global strategy and its rebalancing policy toward Asia (for protectingand ensuring access to the global commons and peace, stability andprosperity in the Asia-Pacific region).
43) Japan and Australia can work together in tackling regional and global
security challenges. Japan-Australia cooperation encourages each other’s(especially Japan’s) larger and pro-active security roles for regional andglobal security.

In the changing regional and global security trends and environment,
Japan-Australia Security and Defence Cooperation matters more and more.
There is room for the two countries to strengthen their security and defence
cooperation further.
1) Japan and Australia should implement the “Japan-Australia Joint
Declaration on Security Cooperation” (+ “Major Elements of the ActionPlan”) and “Australia and Japan – Cooperating for peace and stabilityCommon Vision and Objectives”

2) Japan and Australia should utilize Japan-Australia “2+2” and the
US-Japan-Australia TSD to facilitate policy coordination on Air Sea
Battle(ASB), extended deterrence, dealing with North Korea and China

3) Japan and Australia need to enhance closer cooperation on maritime
security to promote freedom of navigation(SLOCs in East China Sea &South China Sea and the Indo-Pacific), to strengthen amphibious capability,
crisis-management mechanism, to promote CBM and COC to prevent
incidents at sea and in air space above the seas, and to foster regional
capacity-building to offer skills, training and operational techniques inSouth East Asia and the Pacific54) Japan and Australia should encourage defense equipment, technology andindustry cooperation (maritime systems including submarine related
technologies, ASW, MD, UAV, etc.)

5) Japan and Australia should deepen intelligence-sharing (ISR), information
andexchanges

interoperability;

ofstrategic

policyinsupportofstrengthening

encourage sharing assessments and joint research on

strategic issues, regional issues and demographic issues (the roles of female
military officers and soldiers and/or foreign nationals, lessons that can belearned from Australia’s experience and policy expertise in immigration
policy)6) Japan and Australia should broaden bilateral Army engagement including
looking to opportunities of having a SDF land exercise in northern Australia

7) Facing new agendas such as cyber and space security, Japan and Australia
should start faster cooperation on cyber security in the lead up to theinternational conference on cyber security in Seoul in October 20138) Japan and Australia should foster cooperation with India and Indonesia tosupport the US-Japan alliance as common public goods in the region9) In the area of regional cooperation, Japan and Australia should encourage
cooperation on regional security architecture building based on theASEAN-centered institutions: ARF, EAS, ADMM Plus, etc.

10) Japan and Australia should work together on the wider global issues,
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particularly multilateral exercises for non-traditional security issues(peace-keeping & peace-building activities, HA/DR, PSI, etc.)

11) Japan should establish a whole-of-government approach (“ALL JAPAN”)
to security issues (especially crisis-management and HA/DR) including
JICA, Japan Coast Guard, NGO while maintaining the transparency of its
national security policy by reiterating that the fundamental of Japan as apeaceful state remains unchanged.

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