Japan-Australia Relations
Courtesy Call on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe by the Hon. Julie Bishop, MP, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia
(Photo: Cabinet Public Relations Office)
(Photo: Cabinet Public Relations Office)
On February 16, commencing at 3:15 p.m. for approximately half an hour, the Hon. Julie Bishop, MP, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia paid a courtesy call to Mr. Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan. The overview of the meeting is as follows:
1. Prime Minister Abe welcomed Foreign Minister Bishop and expressed his intention to cooperate with Australia to further advance the steadfast strategic partnership which was reconfirmed during the Japan-Australia summit meeting at the end of last year.
2. In response, Foreign Minister Bishop touched upon the meeting with Foreign Minister Kishida on February 15, and said that she would make efforts to further promote the special strategic partnership between the two countries in the wide range of areas including economy, security and defense among others. She also showed her expectation for Prime Minister Abe’s visit to Australia this year.
3. They confirmed their intention to continue close cooperation on the issues with regard to North Korea, sharing the view that North Korea’s nuclear test and ballistic missile launch were totally unacceptable. They also exchanged opinions on regional situations, importance of regional cooperation such as Japan-Australia-U.S. trilateral cooperation and cooperation in the field of security and defense including Japan’s cooperation on the Australia’s submarine program.