Wary of China, US ranks Japan ‘first’ among Aukus partners: State Department No 2 official

‘Very close’ talks under way as Washington seeks Tokyo’s cyber-related and other technological support amid deeper Indo-Pacific engagement

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US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell (centre) attends a trilateral meeting with his counterparts from Japan and South Korea in Seoul on Wednesday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 5:49am, 19 Oct 2024Updated: 6:59am, 19 Oct 2024

The US considers Japan “first” among Aukus partners as it keeps a wary eye on China following meetings in Tokyo this week, America’s No 2 diplomat revealed on Friday.

US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, fresh from a trip to the island nation, said the two allies were in “very close ” talks about Tokyo working with the security pact comprising the US, Britain and Australia on projects tied to advanced capabilities.

Washington’s alignment and engagement with the Indo-Pacific region in relation to China and North Korea have “broadened and deepened”, Campbell added, as he called for Japan’s supply-chain support amid an intensifying tech battle with Beijing.

Speaking at an event hosted by the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Campbell stated that at some point “Japan would be a potential partner” in civil society or think tanks in the Aukus alliance’s partnership network.

“Those have to do with certain kinds of undersea capabilities, cyber-related initiatives,” he added, mentioning “a variety of opportunities” loomed.

A screenshot of Kurt Campbell, the US State Department’s No 2 official, speaking at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies event in Washington on Friday.

“We are in very close, constant interaction with Japanese colleagues about the way forward. No fundamental decisions have been made,” Campbell said of Aukus. “All three countries … recognise that there will come a time that we will look very favourably at partners, and frankly, Japan is first on that list as we go forward.”