Press Releases
The Second Australia-India-Japan-United States Quad Counterterrorism Working Group Meeting
November 22, 2024
From November 20 to 22, the Second Australia-India-Japan-United States (Quad) Counterterrorism Working Group (CTWG) Meeting was hosted by Japan at Mita Kaigisho, Tokyo.
- During discussions, Ambassadors in charge of counterterrorism, and senior officials and practitioners, from relevant ministries represented each Quad partner. They discussed various topics including global threats of international terrorism and countermeasures against the use of information and communication technology (ICT) and unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for terrorist purposes. They reaffirmed the commitment made by Quad Leaders in September and Quad Foreign Ministers in July that the four countries would continue to work closely together to counter the threats of terrorism.
- H.E. Mr. MINAMI Hiroyuki, Representative of the Government of Japan, and Ambassador in charge of International Cooperation for Countering Terrorism and International Organized Crime served as the Head of Delegation of Japan, and officials from the relevant ministries of Government of Japan, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Police Agency, and Ministry of Defense, participated. Mr. Robert Rushby, Director of Counter-Terrorism Africa and Asia Section, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia, H.E. Mr. K. D. Dewal, Joint Secretary for Counter Terrorism, Ministry of External Affairs of India, and the Honorable Ambassador Ms. Elizabeth Richard, Counter Terrorism Coordinator, Department of States of the United States, represented as heads of delegation for each country.
- During the Meeting, Quad partners conducted a tabletop exercise (TTX) involving practitioners and discussed effective countermeasures against the use of ICTs, chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) agents and emerging technology for terrorist purposes.
- Quad partners confirmed to continue to work towards the establishment of an information sharing network.
- The CTWG was launched at the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in March 2023, and its first meeting was held in Honolulu, United States, in December 2023. This was the first time Japan hosted the CTWG Meeting and Tabletop Exercise. Next CTWG Meeting will be hosted by India in 2025. Date will be finalized in mutual consensus action.