Yesterday was the big day. Australia and Japan will formalised their growing security and defence ties in Tokyo when Prime Ministers Abe and Howard signed the so-called ‘Joint Declaration on Security’ transforming Australia into, not only one of Japan’s largest sources of minerals, food and energy, but also its key security collaborator, second only to the US. The agreement covers counter-terrorism, joint defence exercises, disaster relief cooperation, intelligence sharing, maritime anti-piracy cooperation and more.

It’s a bold move for both countries, quietly encouraged by the US, and symbolically takes place exactly 50 years after Canberra and Tokyo normalised trade relations after the war. That agreement, incidentally, was signed by Shinzo Abe’s grandfather, Nobusuke Kishi, who happened to be Japanese PM at the time. Symbolism overload.

Does Beijing perceive this as the next step by the US and others to gradually encircle China and threaten its interests? Nope. At least, not anyone with any sense – Shen Dingli of Fudan University in Shanghai is “not concerned at all” about it:

If China wanted to invade Japan, Australia would come to Japan’s aid, and if China were to invade Australia, Japan would come to its aid. But if we don’t invade either of them, such a pact doesn’t really work against China’s legitimate interests.

In fact, Shen’s a pretty relaxed bloke and not too much seems to concern him. What about Japan’s refusal to properly acknowledge and atone for its wartime atrocities?

I don’t think we should worry about that either. Japan tends to humiliate itself in this regard

If only others were likewise relaxed and laid-back.