Japan, Australia vow to deepen defense cooperation in Indo-Pacific

The defense chiefs of Japan and Australia pledged Wednesday to step up their cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, where China has been increasing its influence, both militarily and economically.Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi and his Australian counterpart Richard Marles told reporters in Tokyo that the two nations confirmed plans to enhance training designed to increase interoperability between their defense forces.Kishi said the two also agreed to strongly object to any attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force in the East and South China seas -- a veiled reference to Beijin…READ FULL ARTICLE