By Focus | 2026-01-05

The Framework for Strategic Defense Coordination (FSDC) that Japan and Australia established in December underscores the growing trust and friendship between the two countries, analysts say.

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles conferred December 7 in Tokyo on Japanese-Australian defense relations and the security environment affecting their shared interests.

"Recognizing the important role that Japan and Australia play in upholding regional peace and stability, we announced the establishment of the Framework for Strategic Defense Coordination," the two sides said in a joint statement.

The FSDC will be led by the defense ministers of the two countries.

Greater consultation ahead

"The Framework will enable greater consultation on a range of matters relating to defense policy, intelligence, bilateral and multilateral activities, industry and technology, and capabilities, including space, cyber and integrated air and missile defense … in support of a stable and secure Indo-Pacific," the statement said.

The announcement comes amid rising tensions in the South China Sea and growing concern over the decades-long Chinese military buildup. In the joint statement, the two sides reaffirmed that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are essential for regional and international security and prosperity, stressing that cross-Strait issues should be resolved peacefully through dialogue.

China considers Taiwan its territory and has repeatedly threatened to seize it.

The Japanese and Australian defense ministers highlighted the importance of continued cooperation with the United States. They underscored the value of ongoing defense coordination in the South China Sea with the Philippines and other like-minded partners, including through regular Maritime Cooperative Activities (MCAs).

Japan, Australia and the Philippines, often alongside the United States, conduct MCAs to strengthen deterrence, enhance interoperability and uphold international maritime law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

"This is about deepening the defense relationship, which is already very significant, and bringing maximum ambition to each of these areas to ensure that we are working as closely together as we possibly can in the future … to uphold a free and open Indo-Pacific," Marles said in Tokyo.

Beijing's belligerence

While the joint statement did not name China, analysts assess the framework against the backdrop of strained ties between Tokyo and Beijing. The FSDC came after relations between Japan and China sagged to their lowest point in more than a decade, Rajaram Panda, a senior scholar and Japan specialist, wrote in Eurasia Review in December.

Panda pointed to remarks made in November by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggesting that a potential Chinese blockade near Taiwan could pose a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan. The comments drew a sharp response from Beijing, including a threat from a diplomat about beheading Takaichi.

"China's belligerent behavior … has led smaller countries in the Indo-Pacific region with similar concerns to indulge in hedging strategies with a view to check China," Panda wrote.

Japan, he added, "has been accelerating its military buildup by expanding defense ties beyond its only treaty ally, the US, and now considers Australia a semi-ally."

'Critical friendship'

Defense cooperation between Japan and Australia has increasingly taken concrete form, including through defense exports. After his talks with Koizumi, Marles visited Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' shipyard in Nagasaki, where Japanese shipbuilders are constructing the first of three upgraded Mogami-class frigates for the Australian navy.

The general-purpose warships, with a range of 10,000 nautical miles, will replace Australia's Anzac-class frigates, which have a significantly shorter operating range. The upgraded Mogami-class frigates are larger and more lethal and require smaller crews, according to the Australian navy.

The first three frigates are expected to enter service by 2034. Australia plans to formally sign a contract for 11 of the multi-mission frigates by the end of the current fiscal year. Subject to technology transfer from Japan, the remaining eight vessels will be built in Perth by Australian shipbuilder Austal.

The deal is set to become Japan's largest-ever defense export contract, reflecting the level of trust between the two countries and marking a milestone for Japan's defense industry as it moves further away from postwar pacifist constraints.

"For Australia, the most critical friendship in the Indo-Pacific is now with Japan," Melbourne-based political analyst Grant Wyeth wrote in The Diplomat in December. With the architecture governing international relations under strain, he said, forming reliable and cooperative partnerships has become essential to strengthening security.

This year, Japan and Australia mark the 50th anniversary of their Basic Treaty on Friendship and Cooperation.