Australian PM visits Japan to bolster defense ties

The prime ministers of Australia and Japan met in Tokyo on Tuesday to boost defense ties between the two U.S. allies to counter China's growing assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific region. The two countries are close to concluding a Reciprocal Access Agreement, a legal framework to allow their troops to visit each other's countries and conduct training and joint operations.

Scott Morrison and Yoshihide Suga are to hold talks later Tuesday and may conclude the deal. They are also expected to discuss the coronavirus and the economy, Japanese officials said. If signed, it will be Japan's first such agreement since the 1960 status of forces agreement with the United States, which set bases for about 50,000 American troops to operate in and around Japan under the Japan-U.S. security pact.