Bill to Include Japan in AUKUS

A bipartisan group of senators have introduced legislation aimed at expanding the Australia- United Kingdom-United States partnership to include Japan in order to combat the growing threat of China.

The Coordinating AUKUS Engagement with Japan Act directs the two AUKUS coordinators at the U.S. Departments of State and Defense to engage with Japan, and consult with counterparts in the U.K. and Australia, at technical level to better understand how Japan could augment the partnership and what steps Japan might need to take in order to engage quickly and meaningfully in AUKUS advanced technology projects.

Additionally, the administration would be required to provide a briefing and a report to Congress detailing these engagements, areas where Japan could add value to AUKUS, a plan for engaging Japan on AUKUS cooperation moving forward, and feedback provided by Australia and the United Kingdom.

The legislation was introduced by Sens. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Tim Kaine (D-Va) and Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn).

“Japan is a close ally and logical first partner for potential expansion of AUKUS given its large, technologically advanced economy and substantial manufacturing capacity. However, AUKUS should get up and running before the administration decides to add a new partner,” Sen. Risch said.

“This legislation requires the administration to first engage Japan on its interest in cooperation on pillar two of AUKUS, including assessments of its unique technological contributions and whether its export control system is sufficiently aligned to that of the existing AUKUS partners. Importantly, it also ensures the executive branch consult with its counterparts in the United Kingdom and Australia before expanding AUKUS.”