Japan, Australia sign ‘landmark’ defense agreement to counter Chinese aggression

FILE – This combination of photos shows Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in London on June 15, 2021 and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo on Dec. 21, 2021. Australia and Japan will sign a treaty on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022 to increase defense and security co-operation in a move that has been hailed as “historic” but which might anger China. Morrison and Kishida will meet in a virtual summit to sign the agreement, which Morrison said “will underpin greater and more complex practical engagement between the Australian Defense Force and the Japanese Self-Defense Forces.” (Pool Photo via AP, File).