New Zealand deal may put Japan closer to 'Five Eyes' intelligence alliance
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New Zealand's PM Jacinda Ardern and her Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida shake hands at the start of the talks in Tokyo, on April 21, 2022.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
WELLINGTON (NYTIMES) - As China moves to expand its influence in the Asia-Pacific region, Japan and New Zealand have opened talks on an agreement for "seamless" sharing of classified information, a step that could strengthen Tokyo's case to eventually join the "Five Eyes" intelligence partnership among English-speaking powers.
An announcement of the negotiations, during a visit to Tokyo on Thursday (April 21) by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand, came two days after the Solomon Islands said it had reached a security agreement with China, provoking unease among Western-aligned powers in the region. The deal, according to a leaked document, could allow Beijing to deploy troops to the Solomons, and perhaps even result in the first Chinese military base in the Pacific.
"The announcement speaks to both countries' concerns about China," said Dr Anna Powles, a senior lecturer in security studies at Massey University in New Zealand, "which have been amplified over the past few weeks with the signing of the security agreement" in the Solomons.
Ms Ardern and Japanese Prime minister Fumio Kishida made their concerns clear in announcing the proposed intelligence agreement. They emphasised "growing strategic challenges" in the Pacific and their opposition to "unilateral actions that seek to alter the status quo by force" in the East and South China seas. The latter appeared to be a reference to Chinese efforts to construct artificial islands for military use and its encroachment on disputed territories.
The agreement would bring Japan closer to the Five Eyes partnership, through which the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have for the past 75 years been sharing much of the intelligence they gather.
In 2020, the Japanese defence minister at the time, Taro Kono, proposed Japanese membership in a revamped "Six Eyes" partnership. Last year, Japan's ambassador to Australia Shingo Yamagami said that he "would like to see this idea become reality in the near future".
Five Eyes members were previously hesitant to expand the partnership over concerns about the security of the Japanese intelligence community.
But a major overhaul in Japan, including the passage of a state secrets law in 2013 over significant public opposition, has helped alleviate that unease.
