Japan-Australia Relations
Japan-Australia Summit Meeting
November 16, 2015
Photo: Cabinet Public Relations Office
Photo: Cabinet Public Relations Office
On November 14, commencing at 6:25 p.m. for approximately 35 minutes, Mr. Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, who is in Antalya (Turkey) to attend the G20 Summit, held a Japan-Australia Summit Meeting with the Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP, Prime Minister of Australia. The two leaders then held a small-group meeting for approximately 15 minutes. The overview is as follows. (Attending from the Japanese side were Mr. Hiroshige Seko, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, and Mr. Eiichi Hasegawa, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister and others, and from the Australian side were Mr. Mathias Cormann, Minister for Finance, Mr. Peter Varghese, Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and others.)
1 Opening remarks
- Prime Minister Abe stated that Japan values its relationship with Australia as a special partner based on the basic values and strategic interests shared by their two countries, and that together with Prime Minister Turnbull, he hopes to further deepen and develop their ''special relationship'' that has been built in a wide range of fields, including in politics, security, the economy, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges. Prime Minister Turnbull responded that based on their shared values and interests, the Japan-Australia relationship, including their recent good economic relations, is extremely important to the security and stability of the Asia Pacific region.
- Both leaders condemned the terrorist attacks in Paris on November 13, the day before the Summit, and confirmed that they intend to work on counter-terrorism measures in solidarity with the international community, including France.
- Both leaders also exchanged opinions on matters of concern to both countries including Japan's commitment to Australia's future submarine program.
2 Regional cooperation and the international situation
The two leaders exchanged opinions on following items.
- Cooperation between Japan, Australia and the United States, and cooperation between Japan, Australia and India
- Situation in the East China Sea and the South China Sea
- China and relations with China
3 Small-group meeting
In the small-group meeting, the two leaders engaged in a frank and open dialogue and reaffirmed that they will join hands in maintaining friendly relations between Japan and Australia from a broad perspective.