Defence pact in focus as Aus PM visits Japan

Tokyo, Mar 10: Australia will seal a security relationship with Japan next week stronger than its defence ties with any country except the United States, but Prime Minister John Howard dismissed concerns it would harm ties with China.

Howard is due in Tokyo tomorrow ahead of talks next month on a free trade deal with Japan, the biggest buyer of Australian exports.

But the focus of his visit will be a ground-breaking joint declaration on defence ties with Tokyo, which has relied on the United States for its protection since World War Two.

The declaration ''will mean that our security relationship with Japan will be closer than with any other country with the exception of the United States'', Jiji news agency quoted Howard as saying in an interview with the Japanese media yesterday.

''I don't believe for a moment that this declaration is going to damage our relationship with China,'' he added.

There has been concern -- mainly from Australia's Labor opposition -- that closer security ties with Japan may hurt Canberra's relationship with China, with which it has flourishing diplomatic and military ties.

Analysts said that Asia's rapidly changing balance of power was what had sparked the arrangement.

''I think the agreement is really looking at a realignment of security in East Asia, particularly with the ever-present rise of China,'' said Alex Neil, head of the Asia security programme at the Royal United Services Institute in London.

Overt Threat?

''Whether or not there is an overt threat, Japan and the so-called 'littoral allies' in the region have got to address that,'' he added.

North Korea's nuclear and missile tests last year are a source of worry, and China's shooting down of one of its own satellites with a ballistic missile in January aroused concern in many capitals.

''We are no longer in an age when either Japan or Australia can rely solely on the United States as an ally,'' said military analyst Tetsuya Ozeki, who says both China and Russia are set to become equally influential in the region.

Details of the new pact have yet to released, but Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said last month he expected it to focus less on ''aggressive-type military actions'' and more on disaster relief and counter-terrorism.

Downer, in an interview with the daily Yomiuri Shimbun published today, said the two countries would agree to hold regular meetings of their defence and foreign ministers, and to cooperate in dealing with the threat of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction by North Korea.

Australian troops helped defend the Japanese non-combat personnel who were sent to southern Iraq to help with reconstruction activities.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has frequently spoken of his desire for closer ties with countries in the region, including Australia and India, that he says share Japan's democratic values.

Higher Profile

The move is also in line with Abe's plans to forge a higher international profile for Japan, and Tokyo's long-term efforts to become more self-reliant in terms of defence, including by installing its own missile defence equipment.

''I think Shinzo Abe wants to create expeditionary capabilities, particularly in post-conflict reconstruction, but also in disaster management,'' the Royal United Services Institute's Neil.

Howard is to hold talks in Tokyo with Abe and Foreign Minister Taro Aso during his visit. It was not yet clear whether he would also meet Defence Minister Fumio Kyuma.

The two countries plan to start discussions on a free trade agreement in April, Aso said yesterday, emphasising that they would take ''sensitive'' areas such as Japan's politically powerful agricultural sector into consideration.

The two countries did 4.07 trillion yen (34.4 billion dollar) of trade in 2005.

Australia exports coal, iron ore and beef, while Japanese exports are mostly motor vehicles and civil engineering equipment.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of a commerce agreement between the two nations.

Reuters