(Provisional translation by an external company for reference purpose only)
I would like to speak about the Japan-Australia “2+2” and the Japan-Australia Defense Ministerial Meeting. If circumstances permit, I will visit Australia to attend the Japan-Australia Defense Ministerial Meeting scheduled for Wednesday, September 4 and the Japan-Australia Foreign and Defence Ministerial Consultations (“2+2”) scheduled for the next day, Thursday, September 5. This Japan-Australia “2+2” will be held for the first time in approximately two years, having previously been held in December 2022 in Tokyo. The Defense Ministerial Meeting was last held this May in Hawaii. Japan and Australia fully share values and strategic objectives. For defense cooperation, we have also been expanding this into various areas, including strategic coordination, joint exercise and operational cooperation, and equipment and technology cooperation. At the meeting, we will share the two countries’ perceptions on regional affairs, as well as hold a concrete discussion towards achieving further progress in the security and defense cooperation between Japan and Australia.