Deployment of Japanese soldiers to 'Australia's Pearl Harbor' a dangerous shift: observers

Australia, Japan and the US on Sunday committed to closer military cooperation in training their forces, agreeing to the regular deployment of Japanese troops in northern Australia's Darwin. 

Chinese observers said the "cooperation" signals a dangerous shift in Japan toward further militarization, and the irony was especially profound given that Darwin was a major base for Allied forces in World War II and was heavily bombed by Japanese forces to a point that it was sometimes described as "Australia's Pearl Harbor."

Under the new agreement, Japan's Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade will be deployed to Darwin to regularly work and train alongside Australian and US forces, the VOA reported. 

Around 2,000 US Marines are already hosted in Darwin, capital of the Northern Territory, for six months of the year. The military deployment is attributed to growing concern among Washington and its allies about China's growing military power in the Indo-Pacific region, according to Reuters. 

Japan's new Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade will join the annual US-Australian exercises held by the Marine Rotational Force-Darwin, starting with Talisman Sabre 2025 and building toward the countries' first air- and missile-defense live-fire training event in the exercise's 2027 edition, according to Defense One.

The increased coordination between Japan, Australia and the US will take place under a new structure called the Trilateral Defense Consultations, Defense One reported, citing Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles. 

The trilateral defense meeting reveals a clear agenda: to enhance military cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region in line with the US Indo-Pacific strategy. The so-called security issues in this region are largely fabricated, serving as a pretext for these nations to strengthen their military ties while portraying China as a threat, a hypothetical enemy, Lü Chao, a research fellow on Northeast Asia studies at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Sunday.

In the context of ongoing conflicts in various regions around the world, the Asia-Pacific region is leading global economic development. Most countries in this region are making efforts to maintain prosperity and stability. The "cooperation" promoted by Japan and Australia under the instigation of the US undoubtedly threatens regional peace and stability, raising concerns among regional countries and their people, Chen Hong, director of the Australian Studies Center of East China Normal University, told the Global Times.

Apart from the fact that Japan and Australia are acting as US pillars for its Indo-Pacific Strategy, the move came against the background of the reciprocal access agreement between Japan and Australia, which is viewed as a quasi-military alliance that allows both countries to send military personnel and deploy military equipment to each other, Chen said. 

Reuters said that the deployment has special significance given Darwin was a major base for Allied forces in World War II and was heavily bombed by Japanese forces. The wartime air raids on the port city are sometimes described as Australia's Pearl Harbor.

For Japan, it signals a dangerous shift toward further militarization. Its WWII bombing of Darwin should be viewed as a historical warning against Japanese militarism. In recent years, Japan has also continuously breached the constraints of its peace constitution in an attempt to expand its military capabilities, Chen said. 

In addition, by expanding its overseas military presence, Japan, as a post-World War II defeated nation, is openly violating the defensive limitations set forth in the Potsdam Declaration, which forms a cornerstone of the post-war international order, according to Lü. 

This escalation of military actions by Japan is inherently dangerous, particularly for many countries in the Asia-Pacific that have historically suffered from Japanese militarism and colonialism, Lü warned.

Also, domestically there are growing concerns over Australia becoming a tool of the US. Some individuals are calling on Australia to prioritize its own interests, exercise political wisdom and handle its relationships with Japan and the US with caution, Chen said.