יפן ואוסטרליה מחזקות את שיתוף הפעולה ביניהן

Australia and Japan are stepping up cooperation aimed at reducing China's dominance over rare earth minerals. The two countries are planning to jointly invest more than $1 billion to address critical vulnerabilities in rare earth supply chains. That funding comes alongside a broader push to boost energy security between the two allies. Here's Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takahichi. Together with Anthony, we will continue to weave a new chapter in Japan-Australia relations and open new horizons for cooperation among like-minded countries. Anthony, thank you. This comes after China tightened rare earth export restrictions on Japan in January. It's a blow for Tokyo, which relies on China for over 60 percent of its rare earth supply. Australia has been emerging as a natural partner, holding the world's fourth-largest rare earth reserves. But it's looking to get help from Japan to refine those minerals. The two countries are also aiming to deepen cooperation on energy. Meanwhile, Takahichi also struck an agreement with Vietnam to deepen cooperation on rare earth minerals during an earlier visit. The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has been inflicting enormous impact on the Indo-Pacific. We affirmed that Japan and Australia will closely communicate with each other in responding with a sense of urgency. The Iran conflict in the Middle East has disrupted Japan's crude oil imports, pushing Tokyo to tap its strategic reserves. Natural gas and coal have since become key energy sources, with Australia supplying about 40 percent of Japan's liquefied natural gas and a majority of its coal. The two countries also agree to strengthen the Quad framework. It's a diplomatic partnership between the U.S., Australia, India and Japan, committed to fostering a free and open Indo-Pacific. you