Our people

Justin Hayhurst
Ambassador to Japan

Mr Hayhurst is Australia’s Ambassador to Japan and took up the appointment in January 2023.

Mr Hayhurst is a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and was most recently Deputy Secretary of the Geostrategic Group and Australia’s Senior Quad Official.  Previously, Mr Hayhurst was First Assistant Secretary International in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. 

Mr Hayhurst was First Assistant Secretary of the Foreign Policy White Paper Taskforce from 2016 to 2017.

Mr Hayhurst served as Deputy Head of Mission at the Australian Embassy, Beijing, from 2012 to 2016.

From 2007 to 2009 he served as Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Affairs on North Asia, South Asia, Afghanistan, Iraq and counter-terrorism.

Mr Hayhurst worked as a Senior Analyst at the Office of National Assessments from 2004 to 2007. He was also Second Secretary at the Australian Embassy, Manila, from 2001 to 2004.

Mr Hayhurst joined DFAT in 1999. He has a First Class Honours Degree in History from the University of Melbourne and a Graduate Diploma of Foreign Affairs and Trade from Monash University.

 

Claire Elias
Deputy Head of Mission

Claire has been in Tokyo since 2018, having served as Counsellor Political before moving into the role of Minister-Counsellor Political. As Minister-Counsellor, she leads the Embassy team’s agenda to deepen Australia and Japan’s political and security ties and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.  

Claire is a career diplomat, having joined the Australian Public Service in 2004, from public relations and strategic communications consulting.  In Canberra, her roles included Director for Global Humanitarian Operations in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade during 2016-2017, and Adviser to the Department’s Secretary during 2008-2011.

Claire has previously served overseas in the Australian Mission to the UN in New York in 2011-2015, during which she was Australia’s representative on UN Security Council committees relating to non-proliferation and counter-terrorism, and during negotiations to realise the Arms Trade Treaty.  Claire also advocated for Australia’s political, security and trade interests as Second Secretary in Kuala Lumpur in 2005-2008.  

Claire's tertiary studies focused on Indonesia’s political economy and military, and Bahasa Indonesia. She has three young children and a very supportive husband.

 

Elizabeth Cox
Minister (Commercial)
General Manager, North East Asia

Elizabeth is currently the General Manager, North East Asia for the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) and Minister (Commercial) at the Australian Embassy Japan. At Austrade, she leads a team of 60 staff across four offices to deliver high quality trade and investment services to Australian, Japanese, Korean and Mongolian clients.

Elizabeth joined the Australian Trade and Investment Commission in March 2021, and commenced her posting in Tokyo in June 2021. Prior to joining Austrade, Elizabeth Cox was Head of Government Relations, Asia, and Head of Corporate Affairs, Japan at Macquarie Group, where she was responsible for connecting and building relationships with stakeholders and governments across the region.

Elizabeth held a number of senior government and corporate affairs roles at Macquarie Group, as Head of Media and External Communications for EMEA, and in Macquarie’s media and public affairs teams in Hong Kong and Australia. Prior to joining Macquarie in 2007, Elizabeth worked for investment and trading house Mitsui & Co., Ltd. and the Japan Local Government Centre, Sydney.

Elizabeth graduated from the Australian National University with a Bachelor of Asian Studies (Japanese), holds a Masters in Public Communication from the University of Technology, Sydney, and completed 1-year exchange programs at Gakushuin University and Nagoya University, Japan. 

 

Stuart Watts
Minister Counsellor (Political)

Stuart has been Minister Counsellor (Political) since April 2025. Most recently Stuart was Assistant Secretary for Fiji and Vanuatu after eight months as Chargé d’Affaires in Suva, Fiji (2023). Stuart has been previously posted to Tokyo as Political Counsellor (2022-23) and First Secretary Political (2016-2020) and to Solomon Islands and Malaysia.

In Canberra, his roles have included Chief of Staff to the Minister for International Development and the Pacific, and Senior Adviser to the Foreign Minister. He also led DFAT’s Executive Branch Risk Management team which coordinated DFAT’s COVID-19 response. This team was recognized with both an Australian Day and Gender Equality Award for their outstanding efforts. 

Stuart has two children and is a keen sportsperson interested in tennis, cricket, soccer, and rugby.

 

Andrew Deitz
Minister-Counsellor (Economic) & Senior Treasury Representative
Japan and Republic of Korea

Andrew Deitz has been the Minister-Counsellor (Economic) & Senior Treasury Representative, representing the Australian Government in Japan and Republic of Korea since October 2023.

Prior to his appointment, Andrew was the Assistant Secretary of the Indo-Pacific Branch in the Australian Treasury’s International Economics and Security Division, leading Treasury’s engagement in support of Australia’s economic, security and development priorities across the Indo-Pacific.

From 2021, Andrew served as the Assistant Secretary of the Investment Review Branch in Treasury’s Foreign Investment Division, where he oversaw the assessment of the national interest and national security implications of all foreign investment applications made under Australia’s foreign investment framework. Andrew earlier served as the Assistant Secretary of the Policy & National Security Branch in the Foreign Investment Division, with responsibility for the foreign investment legislative framework. In that role he oversaw the design and implementation of the Government’s 2020 national security reforms to the foreign investment framework, the most significant reforms since its commencement in 1975.

Since joining the Treasury in 2009, Andrew has worked across the department on national security policy, competition policy, the Commonwealth Budget and superannuation regulation. Prior to Treasury, Andrew commenced his career at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission where he worked on price monitoring and economic regulation across a range of industries, most extensively telecommunications where he led advice to the then government on the creation of Australia’s National Broadband Network.

 

Captain Josh Wilkinson, RAN
Defence Attaché

Captain Wilkinson has been the Defence Attaché to Japan since July 2023. As the Head of Australian Defence Staff – Tokyo, he leads a team that is engaged with all aspects of the Australia-Japan defence relationship.

Captain Wilkinson has had a series of postings in Japan, including the Advanced Course of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Command and Staff College, the National Institute of Defense Studies General Course. From 2019 to 2021 he was the inaugural Chief of Staff in the expanded Defence Section of the Australian Embassy Tokyo.

Captain Wilkinson has previously served in sea-going roles on the Collins Class submarines, HMAS Rankin and HMAS Farncomb. He also completed an operational deployment to the Persian Gulf in 2001 onboard the frigate HMAS Anzac. Ashore, he has worked in submarine projects and explosive ordnance technical regulation including postings in the United States, United Kingdom and Belgium.

Captain Wilkinson joined the Royal Australian Navy in 1997. He has a Bachelor of Engineering (Computer Systems) with Honours from the University of Tasmania, a Master of Science in Explosive Ordnance Engineering from the Royal Military College of Science and a Master of Arts in Strategy and Policy from the University of New South Wales.

 

Janine Pitt
Counsellor (Education and Research)

Janine has extensive international experience representing Australia and the Department at senior levels at a wide range of International and multilateral fora.  Janine was previously based in Paris for three years as Minister-Counsellor with the Australian Delegation to the OECD where she focused on Employment, Education, Skills and Vocational Training. In addition, Janine has held the position of Australia’s Representative to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) - a United Nations agency based in Geneva where she was a key member of the Asia-Pacific Group. She has represented Australia at international G20 meetings and both led and hosted International delegations in Australia and abroad.

Janine has held a number of Senior Executive positions within the Department of Education, Skills and Employment and its predecessors including as NSW/ACT State Manager of the Department.  Most recently, she had responsibility for the development, management and delivery of key aspects of the national employment services program which aimed at improving the efficiency of the labour market and encouraging employment participation.

 

James Strachan
Counsellor (Agriculture)

Mr James Strachan commenced his posting at the Australian Embassy, Tokyo, in January 2025.

James engages with stakeholders across agriculture, fisheries and forestry issues with a focus on trade and cooperation. Most recently, he was the Director North Asia in the Trade & International Division managing engagement with North Asian markets, including Japan. Prior to working at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, James worked for New Zealand’s Ministry of Primary Industries, the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, and with the Department of Defence. He also worked for professional services firm EY in both Australia and globally, advising government and private clients in the mining, energy, defence and finance sectors.

James has a Bachelor of Economics and a Bachelor of Arts (Government Studies and Russian Language) from the University of Queensland, a Masters of Science (Operations Research and Statistics) from the University of New South Wales (ADFA) and a Graduate Diploma from the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia. He has a post graduate certificate in International Security from Stanford University and a post graduate certificate in Chartered Accounting from Deakin University.  He is a Chartered Accountant. James is accompanied by his wife, Erica, and four children.  When he is not working, he enjoys rugby and baseball.

 

Dan Glover
Counsellor (Industry, Science, Resources)