Japan's top admiral visits Australian submarine base

 

AUKUS front: Japan's top admiral visits Australian submarine base

Navy chief Sakai seeks deeper collaboration with nuclear-powered fleet

The HMAS Stirling naval base in Western Australia will be expanded and is planned to serve as a central hub for AUKUS submarines.   © Australian Department of Defense

 TOKYO -- Japan's top naval officer has visited a Western Australian port that may become one of the most strategically important hubs in the Indo-Pacific region, part of a steady increase of nuclear-powered submarines operating in waters off the country's western shores.

Adm. Ryo Sakai, chief of staff of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force, made the trip to HMAS Stirling, a Royal Navy base facing the Indian Ocean, during a six-day trip to Australia last week.

 Under the recently announced plans for AUKUS, there will be a steady increase of nuclear-powered submarines operating off the western coastline of Australia in the coming years. Sakai's visit gave him a firsthand view of what AUKUS partners the U.S., the U.K. and Australia are trying to do.
 
The visit is another step in the deepening defense relationship between Japan and Australia. Both sides seek to uphold a balance of power in the Indo-Pacific region as China's maritime influence strengthens. While still in the early stages of their defense partnership, analysts see Australia and Japan eventually using each other's facilities to refuel, rearm, repair, maintain, overhaul and escort each other's ships and aircraft.