Japan-Australia Summit Meeting (Overview)

November 19, 2012

(Japanese)

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda held a meeting with the Hon Julia Gillard MP, Prime Minister of Australia, on November 19 for approximately 30 minutes from 5 p.m. (local time) during his visit to Cambodia for the East Asia Summit and other events. The overview of the meeting is as follows:

1. At the onset of the meeting, Prime Minister Noda congratulated Prime Minister Gillard on Australia’s election as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council at the U.N. General Assembly session in October. The two leaders confirmed that both sides would continue their close cooperation to address a variety of issues in the Security Council.
2. As for the security cooperation, Prime Minister Gillard welcomed Japan’s completion of a series of legislative procedures on the last day of the latest National Diet session. Prime Minister Noda said Japan would like to continue consultations with Australia at various levels to steadily advance cooperation between the two countries in the field of security and defense based on the recent Fourth Japan-Australia Foreign and Defense Ministerial Consultations ("2 + 2"). Prime Minister Gillard expressed her consent.
3. With regard to the Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), Prime Minister Noda said Japan would like to continue studying interests of both sides in order to achieve an early conclusion of the negotiations. Concerning the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, Prime Minister Noda referred to Japan’s decision in November last year to enter into consultations with countries concerned with a view to participating in the TPP negotiations and said his intention expressed then remained unchanged. The two leaders concurred on the need to continue cooperation for the issue.
4. Prime Minister Noda also said Japan would like to promote cooperation with Australia in the Pacific islands region, noting that the two countries shared strategic interests in the region. Prime Minister Gillard expressed her consent.
5. In addition, Prime Minister Noda reiterated Japan’s basic position on issues related to the South China Sea. Regarding maritime cooperation, the two leaders confirmed the achievements of the Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum and shared the view that the two countries would cooperate in sustaining efforts in the coming years on the basis of such achievements.