The United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia are considering including Japan in their security partnership AUKUS in order to deter China in the Indo-Pacific region, the Financial Times reported, citing people with knowledge of the matter.
According to the report, the AUKUS defense ministers on Monday will announce talks on the expansion of Pillar II, which focuses on developing advanced capabilities and sharing technology. However, they do not plan to expand Pillar I, which includes Australia's procurement of nuclear-powered submarines.
The announcement is expected to be made just before the meeting between US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Washington, scheduled for Wednesday, April 10.
