S8 Ep832: 9/16: Gregory Copley highlights a major defense contract between Japan and Australia, involving the sale of Mogami-class frigates. The two nations are cooperating to bypass China's monopoly on rare earth processing and energy supply chains. This partnersh
The John Batchelor Show
John Batchelor
4.5 • 2.8K Ratings
🗓️ 6 May 2026
⏱️ 11 minutes
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Summary
9/16: Gregory Copley highlights a major defense contract between Japan and Australia, involving the sale of Mogami-class frigates. The two nations are cooperating to bypass China's monopoly on rare earth processing and energy supply chains. This partnership builds on a long history of strategic trade.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | I'm John Bachelor. I welcome Gregory Copley, my friend and colleague of Defense and Foreign Affairs, |
| 0:22.2 | the author of the new book, Noble State, about constitutional monarchy, and we're headed to |
| 0:26.4 | the King Charles III report. But a stop in Canberra, the capital of Australia, May, 26, a 112-year-old |
| 0:36.5 | strategic relationship renewed. Gregory, a very good evening to the new |
| 0:42.2 | Prime Minister of Japan, Taki-Sinai, visiting Canberra and signing outcome documents. In what |
| 0:50.3 | direction? The Albanese government is associated with populist fervor. |
| 0:56.9 | Is Japan suddenly moving in? |
| 0:58.8 | What is the point of these documents? |
| 1:00.7 | Good evening to you. |
| 1:02.4 | Good evening, John. |
| 1:03.2 | Well, in fact, the Australia-Japan relationship has quietly been getting stronger and stronger over recent years, |
| 1:12.5 | particularly starting with the intelligence game. They cooperate enormously in strategic intelligence exchange. |
| 1:20.8 | They have conducted for some years joint military operations and war games, just as Japan and the United States have been doing. |
| 1:33.5 | So the growth of Japan-Australia strategic relations has mirrored to some degree the growth in Japan-U-S. |
| 1:42.0 | Strategic Relations. |
| 1:43.7 | The difference for Japan now is that it's going to have an even closer relationship with |
| 1:53.2 | Australia because late last year, Japan and Australia agreed that the Royal Australian Navy |
| 2:00.5 | would buy up to 11 Japanese designed, |
| 2:05.0 | upgraded Mogami class frigates to replace the Australian Anzac class frigates. |
| 2:10.0 | This is a pretty big deal. |
| 2:11.7 | It's the first major overseas defense contract, which Japan has signed to export |
| 2:17.4 | defense technology since World War II. |
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