Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi discussed energy and critical mineral cooperation to further strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries.
Australia remains a major supplier of coal and liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Japan, while Japan supplies about seven per cent of Australia’s diesel imports. The meeting between the two leaders took place before they jointly addressed the media on energy, critical minerals and defence deals expected to materialise in the coming days.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong told reporters in Canberra, “Gas plays a role in all our discussions because it fundamentally underpins the shared energy security between our countries.” “Our export partners have always emphasised the importance of reliability,” Wong said.
The meeting comes at a time when nearly 20 per cent of global oil supplies passing through the Strait of Hormuz remain disrupted due to hostilities between Iran and the United States.
Japan has also stressed the need for stable supplies of critical minerals essential for semiconductors, electric vehicle batteries and weapons systems. Australia has begun extracting critical minerals to reduce China’s control over global supplies of rare earth minerals.“We want to make sure that we’re resilient in a time where we see a lot of economic and global disruption,” Wong said, adding, “Critical minerals are necessary for our economy.”
Australia and Japan have strengthened defence ties too, striking an Aus$10 billion (US$6 billion) deal last year under which Japan will provide Mogami-class stealth warships to the Australian Navy.
