Japan-Australia Relations

On Tuesday, September 24, commencing at 5 p.m. (local time; Wednesday, September 25, 6 a.m. JST) for approximately 25 minutes, Mr. MOTEGI Toshimitsu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, who is visiting New York to attend the United Nations (UN) General Assembly session, held a meeting with Senator The Hon Marise Payne, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Commonwealth of Australia. The overview of the meeting is as follows.

1. At the outset, Minister Motegi stated that it was his honor to meet Minister Payne for the first time, and that he intends to work closely with Minister Payne for further deepening the “Special Strategic Partnership” between Japan and Australia. In response, Minister Payne congratulated Minister Motegi on his appointment as Foreign Minister, and expressed Australia’s intention to fully coordinate with Japan amid the increasing importance of their cooperation in the security and economic areas.
2. The two Ministers exchanged views regarding North Korea issues. They confirmed that Japan and Australia will continue to cooperate closely on the full implementation of UN Security Council resolutions toward complete denuclearization of North Korea, including tackling ship-to-ship transfers. In addition, Minister Motegi asked for Australia’s continued understanding and cooperation toward the early resolution of the abductions issue, for which Minister Payne expressed her support.
3. The two Ministers also exchanged views regarding matters such as bilateral relations, cooperation for a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific,” the Pacific Island region, and the South China Sea situation.