Australian Prime Minister and his Japanese counterpart Yoshihide Suga announced from Tokyo that they agree in principle about a Reciprocal Access Agreement, between their countries' forces.
- Australia and Japan agree in principle to form a defence agreement to better coordinate their forces.
- Japan's use of the death penalty used to be a sore point in the negotiations for the agreement.
- That obstacle seems to have been resolved, but it is still unclear how.
The agreement will act as a legal framework when troops from one country move to the other. Australia and Japan have been discussing such a scenario for 6 years, but the use of the death penalty in Japan had halted the talks, as Tokyo was unwilling to commit that Australian soldiers who commit crimes in Japan won't be subjects to it.
Mr Morrison noted that the matter had been resolved, but did not provide further clarification on what the solution entails.
The agreement will need to be approved by the Japanese Senate. Mr Morrison has invited Mr Suga in Australia to officially sign it next year.
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Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Australian Prime Minister Scott John Morrison receive honor guard in Tokyo on 17 November, 2020. Source: AAP
