The defense ministers from the U.S., Japan and Australia have agreed to step up military cooperation and expressed concern about a spate of confrontations with China's increasingly assertive military.

In a joint statement, the ministers shared “serious concern” over destabilising actions in the East and South China Seas, including “dangerous conduct” by China’s military against vessels from the Phi

Australia has ramped up security ties with Japan amid growing fears over China’s military might, green lighting annual deployments of hundreds of Japanese troops to Darwin and a new alliance-style agreement with Tokyo and Washington to counter regional threats.

It's part of the expanded Shoalwater Bay Training Area in Queensland, which is now five times the size of Singapore.

Japanese troops will begin regular deployments in northern Australia as part of military cooperation with Australia and the U.S., Australia's Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Sunday. Around 2,000 U.

Japanese troops will train alongside US rotational forces in Australia’s north starting from 2025, the latest move by the three nations to strengthen their security ties in the face of growing strategic competition with China.

The military cooperation between Japan, Australia, and the United States comes amid China's growing military power in the Indo-Pacific region.

Up to 600 Japanese troops will begin annual rotations through northern Australia under a significant upgrade to regional military ties.