Japan boosts ties with 'like-minded' Australia in face of regional threats

Japan vowed to bolster military ties with Australia during a high-ranking visit on Sept 5, with Tokyo's top diplomat saying the "like-minded" partners must stick together to combat shared regional threats.

Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Defence Minister Minoru Kihara met their Australian counterparts at an old army fort outside Melbourne, striking deals on greater air force cooperation and expanded military exercises.

They also agreed to jointly help the Philippine Coast Guard, which is locked in an escalating tussle with Chinese ships in the disputed waters of the South China Sea.

"Amidst the increasingly difficult security environment in the IndoPacific, we need to constantly raise Japan-Australia security cooperation to a new height," Ms Kamikawa said after the meeting, touting a "like-minded partnership".