Australia and Japan look set to deepen defence ties as Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles will meet with his Japanese counterpart Shinijiro Koizummi on Saturday (6 December) during a two-day visit including of tour around a Nagasaki shipyard.
The meeting confirmed by his office on Friday will focus on strengthening cooperation and mounting global security challenges.
Talks are expected to build on the 2022 Australia-Japan Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation, and outcomes of the Foreign and Defence Ministers’ Meeting on 5 September 2025, according to the official website of the Australian Government.
"Our relationship with Japan continues to grow from strength to strength – underpinned by close strategic alignment, mutual ambition and enormous potential," the Australian Defence Minister said ahead of the trip.
"I look forward to meeting with Minister Koizumi to progress our already strong defence relationship even further," he concluded.
Meanwhile, Shinjiro Koizumi told reporters that, "At this meeting, we plan to share the understanding of the regional situation between the two countries and hold concrete discussions for further progress in Japan–Australia defence cooperation."
Koizumi said that defence industrial cooperation will also feature in the talks as Richard Marles will visit Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ Nagasaki shipyard.
Earlier this year, on 5 August, Australia awarded a A$10 billion ($6.5 billion) contract to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to build new warships.
The industrial group has been Tokyo’s most significant defence export since it lifted its military export ban in 2014.
Japan is one of the leading shipbuilding countries in the world, currently ranking third after China and South Korea, accordng to Statista.
It's reported Canberra plans to deploy the Japanese-built Mogami-class frigates to secure key maritime trade routes and bolster defences in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, where China’s military presence continues to expand.
The meeting comes as Japan faces its sharpest diplomatic rift with China in years, after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told parliament that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could prompt a military response from Tokyo.
Meanwhile, Australian officials confirmed that Canberra wants to engage early with the government of Takaichi, who became the first female Prime Minister of Japan on 21 October, 2025.
They also noted that Japan and Australia have a "shared vision for our region."
Marles is then expected to travel to Washington for talks with U.S. and British defence chiefs on the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine programme.
The visits follows an Australian government announcement that a major defence department overhaul will accelerate naval shipbuilding.
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