Australia Foreign Relations - Japan
Australia and Japan are the closest of friends. The Special Strategic Partnership is stronger than it has ever been, reflecting shared values, commitment to democracy and human rights, and common interests in a free, open and resilient Indo-Pacific region. Australia and Japan together with the United States and India are members of the Quadrilateral Strategic Dialogue or Quad. The Quad has a positive practical agenda focused on supporting an open, inclusive and resilient Indo-Pacific region.
The Australia–Japan partnership is the closest and most mature in Asia, and is fundamentally important to both countries' strategic and economic interests. The relationship is underpinned by a shared commitment to democracy, human rights and the rule of law, as well as common approaches to international security.
There have been three major phases in the development of the post-war Australia-Japan relationship:
- the establishment of a major trading relationship with Japan shortly after World War II, formalised by the 1957 Commerce Agreement;
- a process of broadening cultural ties reflected in the 1976 Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation (the Nara Treaty); and
- the more recent emergence of a fully rounded and diverse partnership including important political and security objectives, highlighted by the 2007 Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation and the 2015 Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement (JAEPA).
In the Japan-Australia Defense Leaders Meeting (02 June 2012, Singapore) the Ministers for Defense of Japan and Australia reaffirmed their commitment to a strong and robust bilateral defence relationship. As close friends and allies of the US in the Asia-Pacific, both Ministers confirmed that Japan and Australia have developed cooperation in a range of areas, including the signing of the Australia-Japan Acquisition and Cross Servicing Agreement (ACSA) and an Information Security Agreement (ISA), as well as holding foreign and defence ministerial level “2 plus 2” meetings. In regard to the ACSA, the Japanese Defense Minister explained that he would make efforts to implement the ACSA as soon as possible.
On 06 January 2022, the Agreement between Japan and Australia concerning the facilitation of reciprocal access and cooperation between the Self-Defense Forces of Japan and the Australian Defence Force (“Japan-Australia Reciprocal Access Agreement”, or “Japan-Australia RAA”) was signed by Mr. KISHIDA Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan, and the Hon. Scott Morrison, MP, Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia.
The Japan-Australia RAA is an agreement which establishes in particular procedures between Japan and Australia for the cooperative activities conducted by defence force of one country while visiting the other country, and defines a status of the visiting force. With its entry into force, the Japan-Australia RAA will facilitate implementation of cooperative activities between the defence forces of the two countries and further promote bilateral security and defense cooperation. The agreement will also pave the way for an enhanced contribution by Japan and Australia to the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific region.
Morrison’s mention of democracy and human rights and the new pact’s aim to create “a free, open and resilient Indo-Pacific" clearly showed that the pact is an encoded message to Beijing under the management of the one-party rule of the communists. On the other side of the Pacific, China displayed stoicism in the face of the deal between Tokyo and Sydney. “The Pacific Ocean is vast enough for the common development of countries in the region,” said Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin, in classic Chinese diplomatic language. The Australia-Japan deal appears to be the latest link in the anti-China chain of the Western alliance in the Pacific. It is also an attempt to strengthen the Quad, a strategic dialogue between the US, India, Japan and Australia as a response to China’s assertive presence in the Pacific region.
This landmark treaty will underpin greater and more complex practical engagement between the Australian Defence Force and the Japanese Self-Defence Forces. It will, for the first time, provide a clear framework for enhanced interoperability and cooperation between the two forces. This treaty will be a statement of the two nations’ commitment to work together in meeting the shared strategic security challenges we face and to contribute to a secure and stable Indo-Pacific. Cooperation also includes an expanding agenda for the Quad with India and the United States, and a shared technology-led approach to reducing carbon emissions.
Australia and Japan have a strong and broad-ranging security relationship. The two countries work very closely in conjunction with thei common ally, the United States, and in critical regional partnerships with countries such as India and the Republic of Korea (ROK). Australia and Japan regularly participate in joint defence exercises and frequently consult on regional security issues, such as the nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches undertaken by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
The 2007 Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation (JDSC) provides a foundation for wide-ranging cooperation on security issues between Australia and Japan, including in law enforcement, border security, counter-terrorism, disarmament and counter-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, maritime and aviation security, peace operations and humanitarian relief operations. The two worked closely together in key defence operations, including in Iraq, East Timor, and Pakistan.
Australia and Japan hold regular '2+2' talks between foreign and defence ministers. At the 9th 2+2 talks on 9 June 2021, Ministers reaffirmed the strength of the Special Strategic Partnership. They reiterated their determination to work together, and with the United States and other partners, to maintain and promote a free, open, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific. Outcomes agreed by Ministers included updating the JDSC, deepening cooperation on cyber and critical technology, coordinating vaccine related assistance in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, and improving information sharing. The 2021 2+2 meeting built on the many previous outcomes of the 2+2 process, including an Acquisition and Cross Servicing Agreement (ACSA) on defence logistics cooperation, which entered into force on 31 January 2013, and an Information Security Agreement on the sharing of classified information, which entered into force in March 2013. A revised ACSA was signed in January 2017 and came into force in September 2017.
In 2014, the leaders of both countries elevated the Australia-Japan relationship to a 'Special Strategic Partnership'. In January 2018 then Prime Minister Turnbull visited Japan, and in November 2018 Prime Minister Abe visited Australia, including a historic visit to Darwin. Prime Minister Morrison was due to visit Japan in January 2020, but this was postponed due to the Australian bushfires. Japan provided valuable support for Australia’s bushfire response, including two Hercules aircraft to transport military and civilian personnel, protective masks, and over $5 million in cash donations. Prime Minister Morrison visited Japan in November 2020, the first leader to visit Tokyo to meet the Prime Minister Suga, where they announced in-principle agreement to the Reciprocal Access Agreement. The Prime Ministers' annual meetings are complemented by a host of regular Ministerial interactions.
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