Following a visit to Washington by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Japan and the US have announced increased co-operation in defence and space exploration.
The plans included an expanded air defence network over Asia, which will include Australia.
In addition, Joe Biden, the President of the US, said that a Japanese astronaut would be part of the American space mission, Artemis, which seeks to take humans to the moon. This would be the first time that a non-American would walk on the surface of the moon.
Biden also said that the US and Japan would establish a joint command structure.
Kishida said that it was important to protect the global rules-based order.
‘Unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion is absolutely unacceptable, wherever it may be. Regarding Russia’s aggression of Ukraine… Ukraine today may be East Asia tomorrow,’ Kishida was quoted as saying.