The AUKUS military bloc, which has caused quite an uproar when it was formed last year by Australia, the US, and the UK, might become more crowded after the news that Japan has received unofficial offers to become part of it, the Sankei Shimbun newspaper reported.
According to several unnamed Japanese government officials quoted by the paper, each of the three members of the alliance has informally approached Tokyo on the possibility that apparently aims to incorporate Japanese technological capabilities in developing hypersonic weapons and strengthening electronic warfare capabilities.
AUKUS signatories are also interested in Tokyo’s capabilities in cyberwarfare, AI, and quantum technologies.
The paper claims that the Japanese government has a generally positive opinion about joining AUKUS, which could increase Tokyo’s potential to deter China. However, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno denied on Wednesday the information published in the Sankei Shimbun article, pointing out that Tokyo has not asked to participate in AUKUS.
Most of Japan’s officials remain skeptical and believe that Japan should instead focus on the existing bilateral military cooperation agreements it already has with AUKUS signatories.
Largely seen as a strategy to counter China’s growing influence in the Pacific, the initial aim of the AUKUS – announced in September 2021 – was to provide Australia with a fleet of nuclear-powered, yet conventionally armed, submarines.
It was later announced that they’ll extend the cooperation to incorporate developing hypersonic tech.
Angered by the backstabbing move, China has labeled AUKUS a doomed to fail- Asia-Pacific version of NATO that would only provoke an arms race in the region, stressing that it’s against international conventions of nuclear proliferation to give Australia nuclear submarine tech.
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