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Australia to ink new security pact

Australia will seal a security relationship with Japan this week stronger than its defense ties with any country except the US. But Australian Prime Minister John Howard dismissed concerns it would harm ties with China.

Howard is due to arrive in Tokyo late today ahead of talks next month on a free trade deal with Japan, the biggest buyer of Australian exports.

But the focus of his visit will be a ground-breaking joint declaration on defense ties with Tokyo, which has relied on the US for its protection since World War II.

The declaration "will mean that our security relationship with Japan will be closer than with any other country with the exception of the United States," the Jiji news agency quoted Howard as saying in an interview with the Japanese media on Friday.

"I don't believe for a moment that this declaration is going to damage our relationship with China," he added.

There has been concern -- mainly from Australia's Labor opposition -- that closer security ties with Japan could hurt Canberra's relationship with Beijing, with which it has flourishing diplomatic and military ties.

Analysts said that Asia's rapidly changing balance of power was what had sparked the arrangement.

"I think the agreement is really looking at a realignment of security in East Asia, particularly with the ever-present rise of China," said Alex Neil, head of the Asia security program at the Royal United Services Institute in London.

"Whether or not there is an overt threat, Japan and the so-called `littoral allies' in the region have got to address that," he added.

North Korea's nuclear and missile tests last year were a source of worry and China's shooting down of one of its own satellites with a ballistic missile in January aroused concern in many capitals.

"We are no longer in an age when either Japan or Australia can rely solely on the United States as an ally," said military analyst Tetsuya Ozeki, who added that China and Russia were set to become equally influential in the region.

Details of the new pact had yet to released, but Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said last month he expected it to focus less on "aggressive-type military actions" and more on disaster relief and counter-terrorism.

In an interview with the Yomiuri Shimbun published yesterday, Downer said the two countries would agree to hold regular meetings of their defense and foreign ministers and to cooperate in dealing with the threat of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction by North Korea.

The move dovetailed with Abe's plans to forge a higher international profile for Japan and Tokyo's long-term efforts to become more self-reliant in terms of defense -- including by installing its own missile defense equipment.

"I think Shinzo Abe wants to create expeditionary capabilities, particularly in post-conflict reconstruction, but also in disaster management," Neil said.

On a proposed economic partnership agreement with Japan that will feature a free trade pact, Howard reiterated his opposition to a request from Japanese farmers that beef and dairy products be exempted from tariff elimination.

"I don't think it's a good idea at the beginning of negotiations to talk about concessions," Howard was quoted as saying.

The two countries are set to start talks on the accord in Canberra on April 23.
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