Australia and Japan to share intelligence on China in security deal, ambassador says

The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and his counterpart, Fumio Kishida, are set to sign a new security declaration when they meet in Perth on Saturday, updating a previous deal from 15 years ago.

Japanese self-defence force pilots had scrambled 722 flights last year in response to Chinese aircraft, or an average of two a day, Yamagami said. He said North Korea had conducted 27 missile tests this year, including one over Japan earlier this month.

There was likely to be an increase in joint training exercises between Japan and Australia, he said.