Kyodo News Agency "Agrees to Establish a Defense Consultative Body with the United States, Japan, Australia"

There have been reports that the United States, Japan and Australia have decided to establish a defense consultative body.

Japan's Kyodo news agency said U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Japan's Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles held a three-nation defense ministers' meeting in Darwin, northern Australia, and reached the agreement.

The trilateral defense consultative body then added that it will also make a joint statement on the promotion of joint exercises among the three countries, saying it had China in mind for acts of daunting action.