By Brad Ryan in Washington DC for the ABC.
It's the first time Joe Biden has publicly addressed the issue since the Australian parliament passed a motion in February calling for Assange to be returned home. Photo: Getty via AFP
US President Joe Biden has indicated the United States could abandon its pursuit of Australian WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is fighting the US's bid to extradite him to face serious espionage charges.
Assange's plight has been a sore point in the close alliance between the two nations, which Biden on Wednesday local time revealed would tighten further with the development of an integrated missile system with Japan.
Ahead of a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Washington, Biden was asked if he had a response to Australia's request that he end Assange's prosecution.
Biden responded: "We're considering it."
Assange, who faces 18 criminal charges in the US over the publication of classified documents in 2010, is trying to appeal his extradition in the UK High Court. The court has asked the US to provide several assurances before it makes a decision, including that Assange would not be sentenced to death if he were convicted.
Biden did not elaborate on his comment, which was made as he escorted Kishida through the White House lawn to the Oval Office. It's the first time the US president has publicly addressed the issue since the Australian parliament passed a motion in February calling for Assange to be returned home.
Assange's US lawyer, Barry Pollack, told the ABC the comment was "encouraging".
"This unprecedented prosecution of someone for publishing truthful and newsworthy information should never have been brought," he said.
Protesters at a rally in support of Julian Assange at a rally in London last June. Photo: AFP
Tightening alliances
Biden is hosting the Japanese prime minister for a state visit at the White House.
The leaders are discussing a range of measures to strengthen military cooperation in the face of increasing China-fuelled tensions in the Indo-Pacific.
"I'm also pleased to announce that, for the first time, Japan and the United States and Australia will create a networked system of air missile and defence architecture," Biden said.
The ABC has sought further details about the missile system.
Earlier this week, the defence ministers of Australia, the US and the UK confirmed Japan could soon participate in "Pillar II" of the AUKUS military alliance.
"Pillar II" involves developing and providing joint advanced military capabilities, with a focus on security in the Indo-Pacific. It does not include the AUKUS centrepiece - the provision of nuclear-powered submarines to Australia, which comes under "Pillar I" of the agreement.
"Our AUKUS defence partnership with Australia and the United Kingdom is exploring how Japan can join our work in the second pillar, which focuses on advanced capabilities including AI [and] autonomous systems," Biden told Wednesday's press conference.
Through a translator, Kishida said "nothing had been decided" about Japan's possible contribution to the AUKUS partnership. A senior White House official said it would be months before the "AUKUS Pillar II vision is fully fleshed out" and work could begin on specific projects.
"There's no doubt that Japan brings a great deal to the table," the official said.
"That's why we are announcing that AUKUS partners want to begin consultations with Tokyo as soon as possible."
This story was first published by the ABC.