cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/56888795
Japan is set to test hypersonic missiles and other advanced weapons on Australian soil as both nations push to increase military cooperation against a “challenging and volatile” strategic landscape.
On Tuesday Defence Minister Richard Marles hosted security talks with his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi in Canberra, but in a separate meeting Anthony Albanese passed up a chance to apologise in person for the recent “Melongate” controversy.
Following formal security talks in Canberra, Mr Marles said both countries were also strengthening information sharing between their defence forces, and declared the military relationship was now at a “high point”.
“At a time in the world where our strategic landscape is challenging and volatile, we deeply appreciate the relationship that we have with Japan. We have never been more strategically aligned,” he said.
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Months after Tokyo announced it had operationally deployed its first batch of long-range strike missiles in the field, Mr Koizumi described the prospect of testing in Australia as a “groundbreaking development” and “second only to similar cooperation with the United States.”
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The two ministers also announced successful trials of a jointly developed high-energy laser that can detect incoming missile and drone threats, named the Boobook project in honour of an Australian owl “that can see very well in the dark”.
Earlier Mr Koizumi became the first Japanese Defence Minister to visit the highly secure Joint Operations Command headquarters outside Canberra, and the Nightly has been told he also toured the cyber intelligence agency, the Australian Signals Directorate.
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I can has hypsersonic missiles?
