Japan's New Prime Minister Discusses AUKUS With Australian Counterpart - Reports

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held his first telephone conversation since taking office with his Australian counterpart, Scott Morrison, during which the new head of the Japanese government welcomed the conclusion of the AUKUS partnership and stated that attempts by some countries to unilaterally change the status quo in the region are inadmissible, Japanese media reported on Tuesday

TOKYO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th October, 2021) Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held his first telephone conversation since taking office with his Australian counterpart, Scott Morrison, during which the new head of the Japanese government welcomed the conclusion of the AUKUS partnership and stated that attempts by some countries to unilaterally change the status quo in the region are inadmissible, Japanese media reported on Tuesday.

The Kyodo news agency said that the parties expressed their desire to expand cooperation to implement the idea of a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

In mid-September, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia declared the formation of AUKUS as a platform for defense and security cooperation. Australia unilaterally withdrew from a $66 billion agreement on submarines with France in favor of obtaining the technology for developing its own nuclear submarines within the new trilateral alliance.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian called Australia's decision to break the agreement "a stab in the back."