Context: Recently, Japan and Australia have signed a landmark defence deal in a bid to counter China’s growing influence in the South China Sea and over the Pacific island nations.

• Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) signals that middle powers are willing to play a more active role in the Indo-Pacific.

Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA)

• The RAA is a bilateral defense and security pact between the governments of Australia and of Japan that provides for shared military training and military operations. 
• It establishes streamlined arrangements to support the deployment of defence forces more quickly and with less administration. 
• The pact was signed because of concerns that the Chinese Communist Party party was exhibiting increased belligerence especially over the South China Sea region, including militarization of disputed features, and dangerous coercive use of coast guard vessels.
• On 6 January 2022, at a virtual summit, the Japanese Prime Minister and Australian Prime Minister formally signed the RAA.
• The Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA), the defence treaty between Australia and Japan, apart from its strategic significance for Asia and the Indo-Pacific.

Significance
Changing dynamics

• It fortifies trends that are part of the changing security architecture in the region. 

Moving away from supremacy of US

• It marks the move away from a US-centric outlook towards a greater focus on bilateral ties and regional groupings. 

Japan’s increasing role

• It is also a sign that Japan is willing to play a more proactive role in the region.
• For Japan, this marks an even greater shift, of a piece with the recent evolution in its outlook and global image. Thus far, Japan’s only major defence ally had been the US. 
• Recently, both Vietnam and the Philippines have looked to Tokyo to provide a bulwark against Beijing, signalling a greater acceptance of Japan’s role as a strategic player. And Tokyo is now expanding its ties further: Reports suggest it will seek RAA-like agreements with the UK and France as well.

Australia’s efforts

• It has been enabled, among other factors, by Australia’s willingness to stand up to China on the question of a free and open Indo-Pacific and rules-based global order, despite their deep economic ties. 

Importance to India

• Countering Chinese Influence: Recent stand-offs on the Indo-China Border and the reluctance of Russia to step in and build pressure is forcing India to look for alternatives.

Post-COVID Diplomacy: The disruption across the world and non-transparent systems of China pose an opportunity for India to take lead and become the World's Manufacturing Hub.

• India can leverage its expertise in the vaccine and pharma industry to increase its soft power.
• Further, Japan and the US want to shift their manufacturing companies out of China in order to curb its imperialistic behaviour.
• Net Security Provider in the Indian Ocean:  India under the SAGAR initiative wants to become a net security provider in the Indian Ocean.

Multipolar World: India has supported a rule-based multipolar world and such actions by Asian countries can help it in achieving its ambition of becoming a regional superpower.
Road Ahead

• The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (or the Quad, with India, Japan, Australia and the US), the AUKUS, and now the RAA between Japan and Australia — two treaty allies of the US — all point towards a more empowered and committed regional strategic network.
• India, for its part, has done much to expand bilateral, trilateral and regional cooperation in the security domain — it has “2+2” ministerial dialogues with both Tokyo and Canberra. 
• India must step up this engagement, as well as reach out to other players in the region.