Fourth Australia-Japan Conference Opens in Tokyo

The Fourth Australia-Japan Conference (AJC4), to be held in Tokyo on 23 June, opens at a time when Australia-Japan relations have never been stronger.

The Conference will be attended by around 30 leaders from government and the private sector in both countries, including business, academia and the arts. The Australian delegation to the Conference will be led by Mr Tony Abbott, Minister for Health and Ageing, who will deliver a keynote address at the opening of the Conference. Mr Hugh Morgan, President of the Australia Japan Business Cooperation Committee, and Mr Minoru Murofushi, Advisor, Itochu Corporation, will jointly chair the conference.

Australia and Japan have developed a comprehensive partnership of great significance for both countries. The Conference will focus on three broad areas; political and strategic; economic and trade; and people-to-people linkages. We urge participants to undertake their deliberations in the spirit of the two governments' commitment to the highest level of ambition in the future development of the relationship.

Since the signing of the Australia-Japan Commerce Agreement in 1957, both countries have benefited from a dynamic and inter-dependent economic partnership. In 2005, total two-way merchandise and services trade between Australia and Japan was worth $50.7 billion. Japan is Australia's largest export market for coal, LNG, aluminium, copper ores and woodchips. Japan is also the third largest source of foreign investment in Australia.

We welcome progress made on the Joint FTA Feasibility Study and the work officials are now undertaking in order to finalise it towards the end of this year. We would welcome discussion by participants on next steps following its completion. We must not take for granted one of the most productive strategic and economic partnerships in the region. On the contrary, we expect the Conference will examine new ways to revitalise the economic relationship, including in relation to a possible FTA, as a fitting way to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Commerce Agreement.

Australia and Japan are working together to strengthen bilateral strategic cooperation and identify new areas to broaden the existing partnership on security matters, including on counter-terrorism and counter-proliferation and in areas such as humanitarian relief and peace-keeping. We encourage participants to contribute to the future direction of Australia and Japan's strategic and defence relationship.

The Conference will build on the outcomes of the previous three Australia-Japan Conferences, held in Sydney in April 2001, in Tokyo in November 2002 and in Melbourne in February 2005, at the initiative of Prime Minister John Howard and the late former Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi.

Inquiries: Mr Downer's office 02 62777 500 - Mr Abbott's office 02 6277 7220