Australia and Japan sign agreements

Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Japanese counterpart Takaichi Sanae have held annual leaders’ talks in Canberra as the two countries mark 50 years since signing the landmark Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation.

Both leaders heaped praise on the relationship, with Takaichi saying Australia and Japan were now “quasi allies”, and Albanese saying the relationship was increasingly indispensable in difficult times. The two leaders signed four separate agreements, including statements on defence, energy and critical minerals cooperation and a joint declaration on “economic security cooperation”.