Many in the U.S. defense ecosystem agree that the People’s Republic of China poses among the most if not the most consolidated global threat to American prosperity and values. In response to Chinese military developments and their perceived Indo-Pacific strength, AUKUS — an alliance between Australia, the U.K. and the U.S. — was formed in 2021.
Now, it looks as though Japan and South Korea might join the three aforementioned nations in the pact. The first wave of activities, Pillar 1, will remain just the trio of originating countries as they work toward a goal of furnishing Australia with nuclear-powered submarines. But Pillar 2 could involve opening the doors to let Japan and South Korea in, according to some speculation and public comments.
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Pillar 2 of AUKUS will be focused on cultivating and sharing expertise in up-and-coming technology areas like artificial intelligence, quantum, undersea systems, cybersecurity and more. Korean Defence Minister Shin Won-sik has emphasized that its defense, science and tech capabilities could be an asset to the partnership, a sentiment echoed in Japan by Hirohito Ogi, a senior research fellow at the Asia Pacific Initiative and Institute of Geoeconomics at the International House of Japan, as well as a former national defense official.
“Korea is a country with deeply impressive technology where we do have shared values,” said Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles. “As AUKUS Pillar 2 develops there will be opportunities in the future, and we’re seeing that play out in relation to Japan as well.”
While some believe Japan’s admission in particular would be mutually beneficial, others contest that given the existing bilateral agreements Tokyo has with London, Washington and Canberra, its participation might be unnecessary and provide “little incentive,” per Ogi.
Furthermore, including South Korea and Japan may cause hold-ups, as the U.S. has laws in place about how much and how quickly it can share technology with other nations.
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