By Jessica Frank-Keyes The UK, US and Australia are set to hold talks on new members joining the AUKUS defence and security pact, according to reports. AUKUS defence ministers are expected to announce on Monday that discussions on ‘Pillar II’ – which focuses on technological collaboration – will open, the Financial Times reported. It comes as some in the US are reportedly pushing for Japan to be brought into the alliance, dating back to September 2021, in a bid to shore up Western deterrence against China. The pact is a trilateral security partnership across the Indo-Pacific from Australia to …