Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has expressed his support for Australia's planned acquisition of US-made nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS pact with the US and UK.
Kishida spoke with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese over the phone for about 10 minutes on Tuesday.
Albanese briefed Kishida of the agreement made by the AUKUS leaders on Monday. The US, UK and Australia agreed that the United States will sell Australia up to five of its latest fast attack submarines in the early 2030s.
Kishida said AUKUS efforts contribute to the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific region at a time when the security situation there is increasingly severe.
Kishida and Albanese agreed to continue to enhance their cooperation with each other and with the US and UK.
The AUKUS pact was launched in 2021 to counter China's development of hypersonic weapons and other high-tech military capabilities.