Japan-Australia Relations
The Sixth Australia-Japan Foreign and Defense Ministerial Consultations （''2+2''）
November 22, 2015
Photo: Cabinet Public Relations Office
Photo: Cabinet Public Relations Office
On November 22 in Sydney, Mr. Fumio Kishida, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, and Mr. Gen Nakatani, Minister of Defense of Japan, held the Sixth Japan-Australia Joint Foreign and Defense Ministerial Consultations（''2+2''）with their Australian counterparts, the Hon. Julie Bishop MP, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia, and Senator the Hon. Marise Payne, the Minister for Defence of Australia. The overview of the meeting is as follows. After the consultations, a joint communique was released (Japanese link) (English link). The consultations were held from 10:50 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. followed by a working lunch from 12.20 p.m. to 2.15 p.m., and a joint press conference.
- Joint Communique(PDF)
(72KB)
1 Overall
The ministers from Japan and Australia shared the view that their two nations shared fundamental values and strategic interests and decided to further strengthen their special strategic partnership. The ministers also condemned the recent terrorist attacks including those in Paris, and confirmed their further commitment to counter-terrorism efforts.
2 Japan-Australia security and defense cooperation
The ministers exchanged views on Australia's defense policy and the possibility for cooperation between Australia and Japan based on the enactment of the Legislation for Peace and Security in Japan. The ministers also confirmed their priorities on the future defense cooperation between Japan and Australia and the progress made in negotiations towards making an agreement that would reciprocally improve administrative policy and legal procedures to facilitate joint operations and exercises as well as discussing cooperation in regional organizations, including the East Asia Summit (EAS) and the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM +).
3 The strategic security environment
The two ministers exchanged opinions on cooperation in the Pacific Ocean, maritime security in the South China Sea and the East China Sea，and the regional affairs, focusing on Asia. The ministers also discussed the importance of trilateral cooperation with partner countries such as the United States and India and measures to strengthen cooperation.