Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is planning a visit to Australia next week to discuss defence and security in the Indo-Pacific, amid China’s rising military ambitions in the region.

During the trip, which diplomats said has been decided after intensive negotiations in the past few days, Kishida and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison are expected to formally sign the Reciprocal Access Agreement — a landmark defence treaty both countries agreed to in principle in November 2020.

A Japanese government official confirmed that regional security, including defence issues, would be top of the agenda in talks between the two leaders. Other people briefed on the organisation of the visit said that the Japanese side also seeks to bring a “l(fā)imited” trade delegation to discuss further investment in Australia and supply chain security.