Japan, Australia talk closer military ties and submarines

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, pictured in Tokyo on May 23, 2014 will meet with Australian counterparts to beef up defence relations. - AFP

TOKYO - Key ministers from Japan and Australia will meet later Wednesday to beef up their defence relations, including a possible future submarine deal, as a rising China stirs tension in the Asia-Pacific region.

Worries about China have encouraged a relationship-building drive across Asia, analysts say, with Abe and Abbott aiming to elevate their ties to "a new special relationship". - AFP