Australia and Japan Announce Alliance

With the recent gains of Australia and Japan in East Asia and the Pacific, many observers expected it to only be a question of time before the two burgeoning empires would be brought into conflict. However, the countries have instead reached an accord of cooperation, in what was quickly termed "the Pacific Barrier." The treaty has not been published by either country, so many aspects of their agreement are unknown. What is certain is that both sides have promised each other military support to "counter the advances of greedy outsiders in our respective regions." It is too early to say what the world order envisioned by Japan and Australia looks like, but there can be no doubt that Australia is now the dominant force in the Pacific.