Address by the Hon Alexander Downer, MP, Minister for Foreign Affairs
"Reflecting on the Past ... Planning for the Future"
Third National Conference of Australia-Japan Societies, Brisbane, 7 June 1997.
Introduction
It gives me great pleasure to open the Third National Conference of the Australia-Japan Societies. I understand there are now sixteen Australia-Japan Societies, covering every state and territory, and operating both in capitals and in rural areas.
At the outset, I would like to salute the often unrecognised work of your organisations, which make a significant contribution to strengthening the Australia-Japan relationship. The grassroots activities which you encourage help to build the all important people to people links between our two countries. The now extensive contacts between Australia and Japan are testimony to your energy and dedication.
These contacts illustrate just how far the Australia-Japan relationship has advanced over the last few decades. What was predominantly an economic relationship in the early post-war years has now become one of the strongest and most diverse friendships in our region.
It is, indeed, strong friendships like those between our two countries, and our two peoples, which bury the calls of those dissonant voices in our society which do not see Australia's future with Asia. These insular views create divisiveness within Australia and portray a false view of this country and of the true values which constitute and sustain our society. They are views which threaten our national prosperity and jeopardize the role Australia can and must play in Asia.
As I have said many times before, the simple fact is that Asia is Australia's most important foreign and trade policy priority. In this we do not have a choice and, frankly, we do not want a choice. Australia is already thoroughly engaged with its own region. And by seeking ever closer engagement with Asia we continue to derive the profound benefits which flow from our friendship with countries of the region - such as Japan - and from the realisation of our mutual interests.
This conference and its theme - "Reflecting on the Past ... Planning for the Future" - will certainly assist in further strengthening our valued friendship. In opening the conference this morning I would like to make a few remarks about the evolution of the Australia-Japan partnership, the remarkable diversity and breadth of the modern relationship, and the excellent outlook for even closer and more productive ties in the future.
Evolution of the Australia-Japan Partnership
1997 is a particularly significant year in the history of our bilateral relationship because it marks the 40th anniversary of the signing of the landmark Australia-Japan Agreement on Commerce. The Commerce Treaty - concluded in the same year that Australia and Japan hosted reciprocal Prime Ministerial visits - was a truly ground-breaking achievement for our two countries.
The Commerce Treaty not only underwrote the dramatic growth in our trade relations over recent decades, but also heralded a new era in Australia-Japan relations. It reflected a growing realisation that Australia's future prosperity was inextricably tied to the future of the Asia Pacific region. As Prime Minister Kishi said during his visit to Australia in December 1957, the Commerce Treaty was evidence of Australia's "awakened Asia-mindedness".
On the solid foundation of the Commerce Treaty, commercial ties and wider political and cultural links between Australia and Japan expanded throughout the 1960s and 1970s. High level political dialogue took a major step forward when meetings of the Australia-Japan Ministerial Committee commenced in 1972. The momentum of increasing formal ties was reinforced by the 1976 Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation and, more recently, by the 1995 Joint Declaration on the Australia-Japan Partnership.
The Modern Australia-Japan Relationship - Asia-Pacific Partners
After decades of steadily growing cooperation between our two countries, we stand today in the fortunate position of having a broadly-based and dynamic relationship with Japan.
Economic ties
The strong commercial ties which have provided immense benefits to both countries continue to flourish.
Today Japan accounts for over one-fifth of all Australia's merchandise exports - as much as the next three export markets combined. Importantly, the steady two-way flow of investment and expertise, which has made an exceptional contribution to the economic development of both countries, continues to grow. From Japan's perspective, Australia continues to be a vital supplier of industrial raw materials, energy and food.
For Australia, exports to Japan give rise to some 345,000 employment positions - comprising full-time and part-time directly and indirectly related jobs[1]. Within this overall figure, Japanese investment alone has resulted in direct employment by Japanese businesses for almost 72,000[2] Australians, and of these an estimated 4,000[3] jobs are classified as managerial.
To illustrates the significance of the Australia-Japan economic relationship in another way, approximately 4.3 per cent of total employment in Australia depends either directly or indirectly on Japan. Now that is a point the Pauline Hansons and her fellow travellers need to reflect on: if as a country we telegraph racist sentiments to our region, not only will it reflect poorly on us morally, but it will threaten tens of thousands of jobs.
Trade liberalisation
I firmly believe that the key to successful management of the dynamic regional environment is trade liberalisation. Trade liberalisation encourages a more efficient allocation of resources and gives recognition to the merits of comparative advantage. It is, moreover, the best means of sustaining the sort of economic growth that produces new jobs and improved standards of living for citizens in all countries.
I am pleased to say that Australia and Japan, which were among the first countries to promote the concept of closer regional economic cooperation and trade liberalisation through APEC, continue to see APEC as the key framework for regional cooperation on economic matters.
Regional security
Australia and Japan also share views on how best to strengthen security in the region. In addition to having close bilateral consultations on regional security issues, the long standing alliances which both our countries have with the United States make a fundamentally important contribution to regional stability.
Both countries also recognise that the ASEAN Regional Forum is the premier forum for multilateral regional security dialogue and cooperation. That is why Australia and Japan work together to promote the important ARF agenda, particularly confidence-building measures and transparency.
Cooperation in international forums
More broadly, Australia remains committed to Japan's inclusion in international forums so that Japan can play a role commensurate with its regional and global influence. We regard it as natural for Japan to assume a seat on the United Nations Security Council as a permanent member - a view reiterated by Prime Minister Howard during Prime Minister Hashimoto's recent visit.
Beyond that, our record of productive cooperation in international disarmament and non-proliferation matters becomes more impressive year by year. For example, Australia and Japan were close allies in the successful Australian initiative last September to salvage the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in the United Nations General Assembly.
People to people links
The most fundamental area in any international relationship remains through people-to-people links. We are very fortunate in having seen our relationship enriched by increasing contacts in many fields of endeavour.
Last year some 800,000 Japanese people visited Australia. Moreover, Japanese is now the most popularly studied foreign language in Australia, with by far the largest number of students studying Japanese in the world, with one exception - Japan itself!
I have already mentioned the vital contribution to encouraging these trends made by societies such as those gathered here today.
Our two countries have jointly organised an impressive range of cultural and educational programs. The Australian Government's Japan Cultural Program involves activities including performing arts, visual arts, music and sport. As well as bringing great enjoyment to many people, the program is about professional interchange and aims to be a catalyst for the creation of longer term institutional linkages.
The Australia-Japan Foundation, established in 1976, has also played a very important role here. Just a couple of recent examples include:
. "Discovering Australia": a kit which went to over 11,000 Japanese junior high schools.
- This was designed to help address misperceptions about modern Australia, in particular the long-gone immigration policy known as the White Australia policy.
. A new website created on the Internet in Japanese.
- This provides up to date information including summaries of Australian newspapers, weather, exchange rates and commercial information.
From Japan's side, the Australian activities of the Japan Foundation have enabled Australians to appreciate Japanese culture more fully.
One spectacular example of Japanese culture is, of course, Sumo wrestling. Sumo wrestlers - or rikishi - are Japanese icons, who are more than simply sportsmen, being linked by tradition and ritual to Shinto, Japan's national religion. This week and next, in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, audiences will be enjoying exhibitions by Sumo wrestlers which will allow them to witness first hand the tremendous battle of strength and skill involved in these ritualistic contests.
The Promising Future
Looking to the future, the outlook for even closer and more constructive ties between Australia and Japan is excellent.
The agreement to hold annual Prime Ministerial meetings - announced during Prime Minister Hashimoto's recent highly successful visit to Australia - represents a significant upgrading of bilateral relations. This will be the first such summit arrangement for Australia - apart from our regular Leaders' dialogue with New Zealand - and will help shape Australia's relations with Japan into the next century.
Our two Prime Ministers also endorsed working towards a Partnership Agenda, which will take the relationship forward in eighteen different areas of cooperation.
I expect the current level of senior government-to-government contacts and high level visits to continue unabated. With several of my Ministerial colleagues, I plan later this year to visit Tokyo for the meeting of the Australia-Japan Ministerial Committee - the peak Ministerial Forum between the two countries.
The forthcoming visit to Australia by Japan's Minister for International Trade and Industry, Mr Sato, to commemorate the Commerce Treaty's anniversary, promises to be another highlight in the bilateral relationship this year.
The Australia-Japan relationship is thus set to blossom even further as both countries look to the many new challenges and opportunities for the next millennium.
Conclusion
Today the Australia-Japan relationship stands, in many ways, as an exemplar of the kind of partnership we would like to foster in all our important country to country links across the region and beyond. It is a relationship characterised by long standing trade and investment ties, a remarkable range of government to government contacts, close cooperation on many regional and global issues, and extensive people to people links and cultural exchanges such as those encouraged by the societies gathered here this morning.
This conference is an important contribution to making that relationship grow even further.
I would like to close with the prescient words of then Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies, speaking at a luncheon for Japanese Prime Minister Kishi in Canberra in 1957:
"... Japan is to be a great power in a community of great powers. Australia is taking its part in easing the entry of Japan once more in to the community of Nations. We believe Japan has an important part to play, first in the Pacific and in the world, and we believe most sincerely that that part will be played in friendliness and in harmony with Australia ...
Sir Robert's words reflected the spirit of genuine mutual understanding and cooperation that has been the hallmark of the Australia-Japan partnership for over 40 years.
I want to assure you that the Australian Government remains strongly committed to this vital partnership, and to the exciting future we share in the Asia Pacific region and beyond.
I wish you all well in your deliberations and declare the conference open.
[1] Source: National Account Figures, Australian Bureau of Statistics
[2] Source: Australia-Japan Economic Institute (AJEI) survey in AJEI Economic Bulletin, February 1996
[3] Source: Survey conducted by Embassy of Japan, the Federation of Japan Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Australia, and Jetro Sydney, released 26 May 1997