Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and his Australian counterpart Marise Payne agreed Saturday to "work strenuously" toward revising their 2007 joint declaration on security cooperation, the Japanese government said, apparently in the face of China's increasing military presence.

The agreement came as they met on the sidelines of the "Quad" meeting also involving the United States and India held in Melbourne where the four countries reaffirmed their commitment to realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi (L) and his Australian counterpart Marise Payne are pictured in Melbourne on Feb. 12, 2022. (Photo courtesy of Japanese Foreign Ministry)(Kyodo)

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The 2007 declaration revolved around strengthening the two country's collaboration to deal with North Korea's weapons programs and other regional issues such as terrorism.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison agreed on an early revision of the declaration when they held talks online in early January.

Hayashi and Payne affirmed efforts to complete the respective domestic procedures necessary to implement the Reciprocal Access Agreement, signed at the leaders' virtual meeting in January, aimed at facilitating joint exercises and strengthening security cooperation, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.