Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defence Minister Christopher Pyne have been meeting their Japanese counterparts to discuss trade and security of the Asia-Pacific region.
Australia and Japan have warned China and the United States to settle their differences over trade using existing rules, rather than spark a new "cold war".
The comments came at a meeting between Foreign Minister Marise Payne, Defence Minister Christopher Pyne, and their Japanese counterparts Taro Kono and Takeshi Iwaya.
There has been tension between the U-S and China for months, after U-S President Donald Trump imposed billions of dollars' worth of tariffs on the Asian nation.
China has retaliated with tariffs of its own.
Senator Payne, who was recently in the U-S for talks, says the World Trade Organisation is best placed to deal with the differences between the two countries.
Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Kono has called on China and the United States to consider the international ramifications of their feud.
He says the two nations must work together to avoid another cold war.
The leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to pressuring North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program.
Marise Payne says the denuclearisation of North Korea is vital to regional security.
“We reaffirmed our absolute commitment to work closely with our allies and our partners to ensure that we continue to maintain pressure on the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) in relation to abandonment of its nuclear WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) and ballistic missile program. That sanctions enforcement pressure, which both Minister Kono and I discussed with counterparts in the United States during the UN General Assembly visit and subsequently, that pressure is very important."
Japanese Defence Minister Takeshi Iwaya says dismantling all of North Korea's weapons of mass destruction is possible.
Japanese, then translation..."Complete verifiable, irreversible disarmament of all weapons of mass destruction and all missiles of all ranges need to happen to achieve the goal (of denuclearising North Korea). The international community must remain united and there should be full enforcement of United Nation Security Council resolutions."
The focus also shifted to the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue Group, of which Australia and Japan are members alongside India and the United States.
Australia does not participate in the so-called Malabar military exercises with the other three countries, but Japan says it wants Australia to be involved in a similar exercise between the four nations.
Mr Pyne says Australia would be willing.
