Bipartisan U.S. Senators Introduce Bill to Advance Japanese Cooperation in AUKUS; Tired of China’s growing military threat

WASHINGTON – A bipartisan group of U.S. senators on Wednesday introduced a bill to advance cooperation with Japan for the United States, Britain and Australia’s AUKUS trilateral security framework.

The bill calls on the U.S. government to consult with Japan and other countries to develop concrete measures for cooperation.

Republican Senator William Hagerty, a former US ambassador to Japan, was among those who introduced the bill.

He said in a statement: “Amid China’s growing military and technological threats to the free and open Indo-Pacific, it is imperative that we find ways to engage Japan in the AUKUS partnership between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.”

The three countries have agreed to consider cooperation with Japan in advanced defense technology. However, as cautious positions persisted within the Japanese government, no significant progress on cooperation was made at the Japan-US summit in April.