By Anthony Bergin and Lee Goddard*
During the recent visit by Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles to Japan, the nations vowed to strengthen the interoperability of their armed forces amid shared concerns over Chinese assertiveness. The minister’s visit came shortly after the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, where Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged US$2 billion ($2.9 billion) to help Indo-Pacific nations boost maritime security.
