Minasama konnichi-wa
My predecessor, Justin Hayhurst, was called, I believe for good reason, ‘the Rain Man.’ Today, I will be letting Justin know that the Hayhurst hex has been broken, and we’ve been very fortunate with the weather.
I’m sure you will all agree the Embassy garden is looking beautiful.
I acknowledge Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications Hayashi and Minister for Economic Security Onoda.
You are both regular guests here, wonderful friends of Australia, and it’s great to have you with us.
We are also honoured by the presence today of Ms Abe Akie. Akie san, we honour the legacy of your late husband Abe Shinzo.
Thank you for joining us today.
To the many other distinguished members of the Diet and the Japanese government; welcome also.
It’s great to see the many business leaders present from Japan and Australia, distinguished representatives of civil society, and my colleagues from the diplomatic corps.
I would particularly like to express my sincere appreciation to our generous sponsors, and to the Palace Hotel for the exceptional food and beverages on offer today.
We simply could not celebrate in this way without your support.
Thank you also to my Embassy team for all the hard work that has gone on to prepare for today.
Ladies and gentleman, half a century ago, the Government of Japan reached out to the Whitlam government in Australia to propose a treaty that embodied the extraordinary alignment of our interests and our deep mutual interdependence.
The international backdrop was geopolitical turmoil in the Middle East following the revolution in Iran, a global energy crisis, and an uncertain region in the wake of the Vietnam War.
Fifty years ago this June – after some initial hesitancy and several years of negotiations – the Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between our countries was signed, sometimes known informally as the Nara Treaty.
Back then our political leaders made a conscious decision to build a partnership founded on mutual trust, reliability, and shared purpose.
Today, at another moment of strategic flux and economic upheaval, the core principles that underpin our Basic Treaty – friendship, shared interests, interdependence, and mutual dependability – matter more than ever.
Of course, it is right that we celebrate what we have achieved together in the past. But I was born 60 years ago in the year of the Fire Horse. So, I am fiercely optimistic for the future of our partnership and determined to ensure it reaches new heights.
For me the most meaningful way to mark this important anniversary is to be ambitious about what we can accomplish together now to ensure that our countries remain prosperous, strong, sovereign, and secure for the next 50 years.
The opportunities before us span the full breadth of our Special Strategic Partnership:
reinforcing our mutual economic security, including energy, food, and supply-chain security; collaboration in areas of advanced technology such as AI, digital infrastructure, and quantum computing; deeper defence, security, and intelligence cooperation; even closer diplomatic coordination to maintain a free and open Indo‑Pacific; and ensuring our cultural, sporting, and people‑to‑people links remain vibrant and enduring.
With shared purpose, and vision, and renewed energy, Australia and Japan can turn today’s pressures into tomorrow’s advantages, and ensure that the next fifty years live up to the ambition that inspired this Treaty 50 years ago.
So, I look forward to working with you as we lay the foundations for partnership for the next fifty years.
Thank you once again for joining us today. We are honoured to welcome you into the beautiful Embassy garden and to share with you some magnificent Australian produce.
Arigato-gozaimasu