XI WHO?:

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison virtually on Thursday. The two countries signed a reciprocal access agreement (RAA) that will go through necessary domestic procedures before going into effect "as early as possible."

The agreement will pave the way for much closer defense relations between the two countries, as Japanese and Australian forces can deploy from each other's bases and establish common protocols, according to Malcolm Davis from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

"What is even more important is the strategic message this RAA sends to the region -- that Japan and Australia are working together much more closely to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific," Davis said on CNBC's "Squawk Box Asia."

"That is occurring against a context of a rising China that is much more assertive, and even aggressive, in areas such as the South China Sea, East China Sea, where Japan and China have a territorial dispute, and of course, in relation to Taiwan," he added.

Tweet   @brothersjudd