(Press Release, provisional translation)
8 April, 2026
Ministry of Defense
On April 8 2026, commencing at 4:20 p.m for approximately 40 minutes, Minister of Defense Koizumi held a defense ministerial meeting under the Framework for Strategic Defence Coordination (FSDC) with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence of Australia the Hon Richard Marles MP.
- The Ministers exchanged views on the current situation in the Middle East as well as regional circumstances, including those in the Indo-Pacific region, such as North Korea’s ballistic missile launch which happened today. The Ministers shared their views to continue to maintain close communication.
- he Ministers exchanged views on the status of their respective reviews of national defense strategy and concurred on continuing close cooperation in order to maintain strategic alignment.
- The Ministers agreed on continuing close cooperation between the two countries toward the steady progress of Australia’s next general-purpose frigate program, for which the upgraded Mogami-class frigate was selected.
- In this year marking the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Basic Treaty of Friendship and Co-operation between Japan and Australia, the Ministers concurred on continuing discussions aimed at further elevating the “Special Strategic Partnership” between the two countries, including through the FSDC.
*FSDC: A Framework which was established at the Japan-Australia Defense Ministerial Meeting in December 2025. FSDC is led by Defence Ministers and will enable greater consultation on a range of matters relating to defence policy, intelligence, bilateral and multilateral activities, industry and technology, and capabilities, including space, cyber and integrated air and missile defence.
Japan-Australia Defense Ministerial Meeting (Summary).pdf