SSN-AUKUS

Australia said on Monday it had signed a deal to allow the exchange of nuclear secrets and material with the United States and Britain, a key step toward equipping its navy with nuclear-powered submarines.

It binds the three countries to security arrangements for the transfer of sensitive U.S. and U.K. nuclear material and knowhow as part of the tripartite 2021 AUKUS security accord.

Japan is expected to discuss cooperating on technology with the AUKUS defense grouping at a summit in Washington next month, according to comments from a high-ranking U.S. diplomat published in Japanese media on Friday.