Japan and Australia are expected to conclude a visiting forces agreement, or V-F-A, during Turnbull's visit.

A VFA outlines the legal status of foreign forces engaged in temporary activities -- such as joint exercises and disaster-relief missions-- within a nation's territory. This will be Tokyo's first-ever VFA, though it has a status-of-forces agreement with the United States based on their forces' long-term presence in Japan.  A VFA is aimed at "demonstrating a bilateral relationship of trust both within and outside" the two countries. Tokyo and Canberra aim to officially agree on the VFA and begin implementation by the end of 2019.