Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese emphasized closer cooperation on energy, security and the Trans-Pacific Free Trade Agreement (TPP) in a telephone conversation on Thursday.
In the first call since Albanese secured a second term as prime minister last Saturday, the two leaders emphasized the importance of cooperation in an increasingly challenging international environment, according to a Japanese government statement. During the meeting, which lasted about 15 minutes, they also discussed the potential impact of tariffs imposed under US President Donald Trump. Japan and Australia are two “quasi-allies” that are increasingly strengthening their economic and security ties amid growing concerns in the Indo-Pacific region over China’s growing military power.
