Japanese-Australian relations
Encyclopedia
Australia–Japan relations are generally warm, substantial and driven by mutual interests, and have expanded beyond strong economic and commercial links to other spheres, including culture, tourism, defense and scientific cooperation.
There are some lingering tensions in the relationship, related to enmity in World War II, whaling
and Japan's perceived economic domination, although such fears have fallen off in response to Japan's economic stagnation of the 1990s and a greater awareness of economic issues. At the same time, Australian government and business leaders see Japan as a vital export market and an essential element in Australia's future growth and prosperity in the Asia Pacific region. Japan on its part regards Australia as an important partner, a reliable source of energy, minerals and other primary products, a popular tourist destination, a useful conduit to the West and the only other middle ranking economic power in the Asia Pacific.
, trepang
and pearl harvesting. Further immigration was effectively terminated with the Australian Immigration Restriction Act of 1902, with the imposition of a “dictation test” in a European language on prospective immigrants, and with the White Australia policy
. Due to this the Townsville consulate closed in 1908.
However, economic relations continued to flourish, and by the mid-1930s, Japan had become Australia's second largest export market after the United Kingdom. However, in 1936, Britain applied political pressure on Australia to curb the import of Japanese textiles, which were damaging the British textile market in Australia. Japan reacted to the new tariffs with trade barrier
s of its own. After both sides realized that the trade war
was unproductive, an agreement was reached in 1937 to relax restrictions.
In recognition of the importance of Japanese ties, Tokyo was the second capital (after Washington DC in the United States) where Australia established a legation
separate from the British embassy.
During World War II, Australian territory was directly threatened by Japanese invasion, and Japanese forces attacked Darwin in Northern Australia
and Sydney Harbour
. In 1941, the ethnic Japanese population in Australia was interned, and most were deported to Japan at the end of the war. Australian forces played an active combat role in battles throughout the Southeast Asia and South West Pacific theater of World War II, and a significant role in the post-war Occupation of Japan.
occupation, and Haruhiko Nishi
was appointed as Japanese ambassador to Australia.
Australia and Japan celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of the 1976 Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation
in 2006. In a joint statement issued in March 2006, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer
and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso
declared the "partnership" between Australia and Japan, based on "shared democratic values, mutual respect, deep friendship, and shared strategic views", to be "stronger than ever".
Australia and Japan have agreed to work together towards the reform of the United Nations
, including the realization of Japan's permanent membership of the Security Council, and to strengthen various regional forums, including the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the East Asia Summit
(EAS).
In March 2007 Australia and Japan signed a joint security pact.
The scope of security cooperation includes:
During the deployment of the Japan Self-Defense Forces
on a humanitarian and reconstruction mission to Iraq
from 2004 to 2006, Australian units assisted Japanese Special Forces in the protection of Japanese bases. January 2008 saw diplomatic relations briefly worsen as Australia condemned Japan's self-proclaimed scientific whaling and the Federal Government
intervened in the Australian High Court to declare the whaling illegal. Two Sea Shepherd
protestors were captured by the Japanese whaling ship Yushin Maru, one of whom was Australian. However, the situation was quickly solved when Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research
ordered the ship to hand the two back to Australian Customs vessels. In December 2009, Rudd travelled to Japan where a joint Australian-Japanese nuclear arms task force released a report. Talks on the whaling problem was also discussed, which has been a point of contention in the two countries relations. Prior to the visit, Rudd threatened legal action to stop whaling. An Australian Labor Party
Minister stated that his party, if elected, would order the Australian Navy
into the Southern Ocean to monitor "illegal" whaling.
In May 2010, Australia started legal action to halt Japanese whale hunts.
countries toward Asia around the sixties and seventies. Japan in particular had emerged as the leading trading partner. Japan is now the second largest export market for Australia (after China), although Japan is ranked only third as a source of imports to Australia after the United States and China. Because of this, Australia has had a trade surplus with Japan.
Australia is a predominant source of food and raw materials for Japan. In 1990 Australia accounted for 5.3 percent of total Japanese imports, a share that held relatively steady in the late 1980s. Australia was the largest single supplier of coal, iron ore, wool, and sugar to Japan in 1990. Australia is also a supplier of uranium
. By 1988 Japanese investment made Australia the single largest source of Japanese regional imports. The ban on American and Canadian beef recently made Australia the largest supplier of beef in Japan.
Resource development projects in Australia attracted Japanese capital, as did trade protectionism by necessitating local production for the Australian market. Investments in Australia totaled US$8.1 billion in 1988, accounting for 4.4 percent of Japanese direct investment abroad. But, because of the broadening reach of Japan's foreign investment, this share had been declining, down from 5.9 percent in 1980. During the 1980s, Japanese real estate investment increased in Australia, particularly in the ocean resort area known as the Gold Coast
, where Japanese presence was strong enough to create some resentment.
As Japan protects its agriculture, Australia faces quotas, high tariffs, and standards barriers in exporting agricultural products including beef, butter, and apples to Japan. Australia is eager to sign a Free trade agreement with Japan.
Both countries attract a considerable number of tourists from the other country, with Australia being a favorite diving and surfing spot and Japan famous for its culture, especially in Kyoto
.
As Australia trades raw minerals to Japan for large amounts of earnings, the same minerals come back to Australia in the forms of technology such as televisions, computers and cars
There are some lingering tensions in the relationship, related to enmity in World War II, whaling
Whaling in Japan
Whaling in Japan may have begun as early as the 12th century. During the 20th century, Japan was heavily involved in commercial whaling until the International Whaling Commission moratorium on commercial whaling went into effect in 1986...
and Japan's perceived economic domination, although such fears have fallen off in response to Japan's economic stagnation of the 1990s and a greater awareness of economic issues. At the same time, Australian government and business leaders see Japan as a vital export market and an essential element in Australia's future growth and prosperity in the Asia Pacific region. Japan on its part regards Australia as an important partner, a reliable source of energy, minerals and other primary products, a popular tourist destination, a useful conduit to the West and the only other middle ranking economic power in the Asia Pacific.
Australia and the Empire of Japan
The first Japanese person known to have settled in Australia was a merchant who immigrated to Queensland in 1871. By the start of the Australian Federation in 1901, it was estimated that Australia had 4000 Japanese immigrants, mostly based around Townsville where the Japanese government had established its first consulate in 1896. The immigrants worked mostly in the sugar cane and maritime industries including turtle, trochusTrochus
Trochus is a genus of medium-sized to very large sea snails. They are marine gastropod molluscs in the family Trochidae, the top snails....
, trepang
Sea cucumber
Sea cucumbers are echinoderms from the class Holothuroidea.They are marine animals with a leathery skin and an elongated body containing a single, branched gonad. Sea cucumbers are found on the sea floor worldwide. There are a number of holothurian species and genera, many of which are targeted...
and pearl harvesting. Further immigration was effectively terminated with the Australian Immigration Restriction Act of 1902, with the imposition of a “dictation test” in a European language on prospective immigrants, and with the White Australia policy
White Australia policy
The White Australia policy comprises various historical policies that intentionally restricted "non-white" immigration to Australia. From origins at Federation in 1901, the polices were progressively dismantled between 1949-1973....
. Due to this the Townsville consulate closed in 1908.
However, economic relations continued to flourish, and by the mid-1930s, Japan had become Australia's second largest export market after the United Kingdom. However, in 1936, Britain applied political pressure on Australia to curb the import of Japanese textiles, which were damaging the British textile market in Australia. Japan reacted to the new tariffs with trade barrier
Trade barrier
Trade barriers are government-induced restrictions on international trade. The barriers can take many forms, including the following:* Tariffs* Non-tariff barriers to trade** Import licenses** Export licenses** Import quotas** Subsidies...
s of its own. After both sides realized that the trade war
Trade war
A trade war refers to two or more states raising or creating tariffs or other trade barriers on each other in retaliation for other trade barriers...
was unproductive, an agreement was reached in 1937 to relax restrictions.
In recognition of the importance of Japanese ties, Tokyo was the second capital (after Washington DC in the United States) where Australia established a legation
Legation
A legation was the term used in diplomacy to denote a diplomatic representative office lower than an embassy. Where an embassy was headed by an Ambassador, a legation was headed by a Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary....
separate from the British embassy.
During World War II, Australian territory was directly threatened by Japanese invasion, and Japanese forces attacked Darwin in Northern Australia
Northern Australia
The term northern Australia is generally known to include two State and Territories, being Queensland and the Northern Territory . The part of Western Australia north of latitude 26° south—a definition widely used in law and State government policy—is also usually included...
and Sydney Harbour
Attack on Sydney Harbour
In late May and early June 1942, during World War II, submarines belonging to the Imperial Japanese Navy made a series of attacks on the cities of Sydney and Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia...
. In 1941, the ethnic Japanese population in Australia was interned, and most were deported to Japan at the end of the war. Australian forces played an active combat role in battles throughout the Southeast Asia and South West Pacific theater of World War II, and a significant role in the post-war Occupation of Japan.
Post-war relations
Diplomatic relations between Australia and Japan were re-established in 1952, following the termination of the AlliedAllies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
occupation, and Haruhiko Nishi
Haruhiko Nishi
was a Japanese diplomat.-Prewar service:In 1925, as diplomatic relations between the Soviet and the Japanese governments were established, was appointed Secretary of the Embassy in Moscow. Served as Counselor of the Embassy in Moscow from June 1939 to August 1940....
was appointed as Japanese ambassador to Australia.
Australia and Japan celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of the 1976 Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation
Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation
The Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation is an agreement between Australia and Japan to enhance relations between the two countries mostly in trade but also social and cultural factors...
in 2006. In a joint statement issued in March 2006, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer
Alexander Downer
Alexander John Gosse Downer is a former Australian Liberal Party politician who was Foreign Minister of Australia from March 1996 to December 2007, the longest-serving in Australian history...
and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso
Taro Aso
was the 92nd Prime Minister of Japan serving from September 2008 to September 2009, and was defeated in the August 2009 election.He has served in the House of Representatives since 1979. He was Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2005 to 2007, and was Secretary-General of the LDP briefly in 2007 and...
declared the "partnership" between Australia and Japan, based on "shared democratic values, mutual respect, deep friendship, and shared strategic views", to be "stronger than ever".
Australia and Japan have agreed to work together towards the reform of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, including the realization of Japan's permanent membership of the Security Council, and to strengthen various regional forums, including the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the East Asia Summit
East Asia Summit
The East Asia Summit is a forum held annually by leaders of, initially, 16 countries in the East Asian region. Membership will expand to 18 countries including the United States and Russia at the Sixth EAS in 2011. EAS meetings are held after annual ASEAN leaders’ meetings...
(EAS).
In March 2007 Australia and Japan signed a joint security pact.
The scope of security cooperation includes:
- Law enforcement on combating transnational crime, including trafficking in illegal narcotics and precursors, people smuggling and trafficking, counterfeiting currency and arms smuggling
- Border security
- Counter-terrorism
- Disarmament and counter-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery
- Peace operations
- Exchange of strategic assessments and related information
- Maritime and aviation security
- Humanitarian relief operations, including disaster relief
- Contingency planning, including for pandemics
During the deployment of the Japan Self-Defense Forces
Japan Self-Defense Forces
The , or JSDF, occasionally referred to as JSF or SDF, are the unified military forces of Japan that were established after the end of the post–World War II Allied occupation of Japan. For most of the post-war period the JSDF was confined to the islands of Japan and not permitted to be deployed...
on a humanitarian and reconstruction mission to Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
from 2004 to 2006, Australian units assisted Japanese Special Forces in the protection of Japanese bases. January 2008 saw diplomatic relations briefly worsen as Australia condemned Japan's self-proclaimed scientific whaling and the Federal Government
Government of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...
intervened in the Australian High Court to declare the whaling illegal. Two Sea Shepherd
Sea Shepherd
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is a non-profit, marine conservation organization based in Friday Harbor, Washington in the United States. The group uses direct action tactics to protect sealife...
protestors were captured by the Japanese whaling ship Yushin Maru, one of whom was Australian. However, the situation was quickly solved when Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research
Institute of Cetacean Research
The is a Japanese government-sponsored institution. It took over from the Whale Research Institute , which grew out of the Nakabe Scientific Research Centre ....
ordered the ship to hand the two back to Australian Customs vessels. In December 2009, Rudd travelled to Japan where a joint Australian-Japanese nuclear arms task force released a report. Talks on the whaling problem was also discussed, which has been a point of contention in the two countries relations. Prior to the visit, Rudd threatened legal action to stop whaling. An Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
Minister stated that his party, if elected, would order the Australian Navy
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
into the Southern Ocean to monitor "illegal" whaling.
In May 2010, Australia started legal action to halt Japanese whale hunts.
Economic relations
Australian trade had shifted away from other CommonwealthCommonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
countries toward Asia around the sixties and seventies. Japan in particular had emerged as the leading trading partner. Japan is now the second largest export market for Australia (after China), although Japan is ranked only third as a source of imports to Australia after the United States and China. Because of this, Australia has had a trade surplus with Japan.
Australia is a predominant source of food and raw materials for Japan. In 1990 Australia accounted for 5.3 percent of total Japanese imports, a share that held relatively steady in the late 1980s. Australia was the largest single supplier of coal, iron ore, wool, and sugar to Japan in 1990. Australia is also a supplier of uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
. By 1988 Japanese investment made Australia the single largest source of Japanese regional imports. The ban on American and Canadian beef recently made Australia the largest supplier of beef in Japan.
Resource development projects in Australia attracted Japanese capital, as did trade protectionism by necessitating local production for the Australian market. Investments in Australia totaled US$8.1 billion in 1988, accounting for 4.4 percent of Japanese direct investment abroad. But, because of the broadening reach of Japan's foreign investment, this share had been declining, down from 5.9 percent in 1980. During the 1980s, Japanese real estate investment increased in Australia, particularly in the ocean resort area known as the Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
, where Japanese presence was strong enough to create some resentment.
As Japan protects its agriculture, Australia faces quotas, high tariffs, and standards barriers in exporting agricultural products including beef, butter, and apples to Japan. Australia is eager to sign a Free trade agreement with Japan.
Both countries attract a considerable number of tourists from the other country, with Australia being a favorite diving and surfing spot and Japan famous for its culture, especially in Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
.
As Australia trades raw minerals to Japan for large amounts of earnings, the same minerals come back to Australia in the forms of technology such as televisions, computers and cars
See also
- Foreign relations of AustraliaForeign relations of AustraliaThe foreign relations of Australia have spanned from the country's time as Dominion and later Realm of the Commonwealth to become steadfastly allied with New Zealand through long-standing ANZAC ties dating back to the early 1900s, and the United States throughout the Cold War, to its engagement...
- Foreign relations of JapanForeign relations of JapanForeign relations of Japan is handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.Since the surrender after World War II and the Treaty of San Francisco, Japanese diplomatic policy has been based on close partnership with the United States and the emphasis on the international cooperation such as...
- Japanese AustralianJapanese AustralianJapanese Australians are people of Japanese ancestry who are resident in Australia, either through birth or immigration.-Demography:In the 2006 Census 30,778 Japanese-born residents were counted in Australia. This number excludes Australian-born persons of Japanese ancestry, and Japanese in...