The Hon Stephen Smith MP, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade
Australian Commonwealth Coat of Arms

The Hon Stephen Smith mp

Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade

1 May 2009

Visit to Australia by Japan Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, The Hon Mr Hirofumi Nakasone, will visit Perth on 1 May.   

This is Mr Nakasone’s first visit to Australia as Foreign Minister and the first full bilateral visit to Australia by a Minister of the Government of Prime Minister Aso. 

This is the first visit by a Japanese Foreign Minister to Perth. 

I most recently met with Foreign Minister Nakasone on 17 April when I attended Ministerial meetings on Pakistan and held bilateral discussions with him in Tokyo. 

Australia and Japan share a comprehensive economic, security and strategic partnership, based on enduring friendship, shared democratic values, enduring trade and investment links and common alliance ties with the United States.

These trade and investment ties started in Western Australia with the minerals and petroleum resources industry, especially exports of iron ore, and then liquefied natural gas. 

For over 40 years, Japan has been Australia’s largest export market.  Japan is our largest trading partner.  Japanese investment, which played so vital a role in the development of many of Australia's export industries, remains a key element of our economic prosperity.

Australia and Japan also enjoy close people-to-people links.  In 2007, nearly 90,000 Japanese went to Australia for education purposes. About 8,000 Japanese students are studying full time in Australia.

In our meeting, Mr Nakasone and I will discuss how to advance bilateral security and economic cooperation and we will share perspectives on regional and global issues, including nuclear disarmament, the DPRK, Afghanistan and Fiji.   

We will also discuss follow up to Prime Minister Aso’s proposal at the Australia-Japan Conference in 2008 to enhance the learning of Japanese in Australia. 

Mr Nakasone and I will also discuss whaling.  I will again raise with him the need for a diplomatic solution to end so-called lethal ‘scientific’ whaling.

 

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