Japan-Australia Relations
Japan-Australia Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
November 22, 2015
On November 21, Mr. Fumio Kishida, Minister for Foreign Affairs, attended a dinner hosted by the Hon. Julie Bishop MP, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia, and on November 22 the two foreign ministers held a Japan-Australia Foreign Ministers' Meeting, in Sydney, Australia.
1 General remarks
FM Kishida and FM Bishop affirmed the importance of strategic cooperation between Japan and Australia in the Asia-Pacific region, and concurred that they will strengthen the ''special relationship,'' in line with the outcome of the Japan-Australia Summit Meeting at the Antalya G20 Summit at which the leaders of the two countries met for the first time.
2 Bilateral relations
(1) The two ministers affirmed the importance of deepening the cooperative relationship between Japan and Australia in a broad range of fields, and exchanged views frankly and broadly on policies for further advancing the unshakeable ''special relationship'' between Japan and Australia, which is a cornerstone of the Asia-Pacific region.
(2) The two ministers exchanged views on matters of interest to both countries, including people-to-people exchanges through advancing the ''New Colombo Plan'' that Australia is undertaking, greater promotion of exchanges between the strongly-connected Japanese and Australian economies, and cooperation in the international arena.
(2) The two ministers exchanged views on matters of interest to both countries, including people-to-people exchanges through advancing the ''New Colombo Plan'' that Australia is undertaking, greater promotion of exchanges between the strongly-connected Japanese and Australian economies, and cooperation in the international arena.
3 Regional cooperation and international affairs
Regarding the situation in the South China Sea, the two ministers reiterated their strong opposition to any unilateral actions that could alter the status quo in the South China Sea, along with sharing the view that they will cooperate to issue a solid message emphasizing compliance with the rule of law at sea at the East Asia Summit (EAS) scheduled to take place from the following day.
4 Nuclear Disarmament and Non-proliferation
The two ministers issued a joint statement(PDF) demonstrating their resolve to work closely together and lead global efforts on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.