Five months ago, both Defence Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong were emphatic: Australia shared no greater strategic alignment with any country than Japan. But a political storm is brewing in Tokyo.
Should Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi secure a thumping mandate at Sunday’s general election, her brand of unapologetic China hawkishness is on a collision course with Labor’s delicate project to stabilise relations with our largest trading partner.
