Japan's Motegi says Japan, Australia have special, strategic partnership

Quad Indo-Pacific meeting in Tokyo

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan and Australia have a special, strategic partnership and the cooperation possibilities are great, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on Wednesday at the start of a meeting with his Australian counterpart.

Motegi's meeting with Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne took place a day after four-way Quad between the foreign ministers of Japan, the United States, Australia and India in which U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called for deeper cooperation with Asian allies as a bulwark against China's growing regional influence.

Motegi gave no further details.

Payne on Tuesday met separately with Pompeo and the two discussed their shared concerns regarding China's activities in the Indo-Pacific.

(Reporting by Elaine Lies; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)