Australian-Japan Resilience Event
Website search Mural Hall, Australian Parliament House, Canberra I begin by acknowledging the Ngunnawal people, the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we gather today. I pay my respects to their Elders, past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with us today. I’d also like to acknowledge: Fellow Members of Parliament and Senators and former MPs and Ministers.
His Excellency Suzuki Kazuhiro, Japan’s Ambassador to Australia His Excellency embodies the modern Australia-Japan relationship. The Ambassador is the son of a former Kamikaze pilot and is now instrumental in our special strategic partnership. As his Excellency has said: “We negotiate, operate and cooperate with one another, helping to preserve the rules-based order and the peace and prosperity of our region.
But perhaps more than any of this, we have become the best of mates.” I also acknowledge the Hon Richard Court AC, Perth USAsia Centre board member. Richard’s contribution to the relationship as former Premier of Western Australia and as our Ambassador to Japan has been significant. Like Ambassador Suzuki, Richard’s father served in World War II, but as an Australian soldier.
That was of course Sir Charles Court, who went on to become Minister of Development and then Premier of WA, and is considered, quite rightly, to be a key architect in the building of WA’s iron ore sector and Australia’s economic ties after the war. That was a time when leaders in Japan and Australia made an important choice not to let history take away our future.
We follow that leadership today. I also acknowledge: The diplomatic corps Gordon Flake, CEO of the Perth USAsia Centre, and The team among which I used to work with a decade ago before my election. A little over fifty years ago our two nations sat down and committed to work together.
The Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation – known as the Nara Treaty – was premised on Australia and Japan’s shared interests, mutual respect, and shared desire to build a future together. In the five decades since Prime Ministers Fraser and Prime Minister Miki put pen to paper, Australia and Japan have built the most successful bilateral partnerships in the Indo-Pacific.
We share a commitment to democracy, the rule of law and to peace and security. Our relationship is broad, and it is strong, and it is founded on trust. Our friendship is grounded in trade and investment, defence and security, energy and resources, science, culture, and people.
Which is important – because we are now facing a world that has become more contested and more uncertain. Supply chains have shifted, strategic risks have crept closer to home, and unexpected shocks have disrupted global markets. Our nations cannot take the relative stability of the fifty years since the signing of the Basic Treaty for granted.
So instead, we are using this remarkable anniversary to elevate our relationship and make it ever stronger for the next 50 years. Trade, investment and energy Let me begin with the foundation: the economic relationship. Japan is consistently among Australia’s largest trading partners.
Japan was Australia’s third largest trading partner in 2025, with total two-way trade valued at $97.5 billion. Energy has underpinned our bilateral relationship from the beginning. Australia supplies over half of Japan’s metallurgical coal and iron ore.
This is a structural relationship, built over decades, that has made both our countries stronger. Australia is, and will remain, a reliable supplier of gas and coal to Japan. Our commitment to being a reliable LNG partner is a strategic position this government has made very clear at every relevant forum.
Australia’s Future Gas Strategy, released in May 2024, commits us to remaining a reliable supplier of energy to our region to 2050 Because the transition to Net Zero, which both our countries have committed themselves to, will require the support of natural gas. Friends, we are here today to speak about the resilience of the partnership of our two nations. Our shared interests in the Indo Pacific region are paramount.
Energy security is a permanent priority. Australia provides that energy security and has been supported to do so through significant investment from Japan and other countries. It is opportune to remind everyone that Japan’s single largest foreign investment project was the INPEX Ichthys gas field and LNG facility in Darwin – some $80 billion.
This project provides resilience and security for Japan. Like Japan, Australia also needs resilience in its own supply of gas to consumers and manufacturers We need a resilient domestic gas market and enduring legislative framework that works for Australian consumers. We do not have that now but this Government is committed to ensuring that we will.
The Albanese Government is determined that Australia homes and businesses get access to Australian gas at fair prices. I would like to thank all of you that have engaged with the consultation process on the detailed design. And many have.
Supply chain disruption It is not possible to speak about energy security in 2026 without acknowledging the disruption to global supply chains in recent months. We are committed to playing Australia’s role in that all important energy security for the Indo-Pacific by ensuring gas exports continue. The events in the Middle East have been a significant stress test for the global energy system.
I think it was a sign of the strength of our relationship how quickly Australia and Japan were able to work together to confront these challenges. Prime Minister Takaichi’s visit to Australia in May was a historic moment. And it was an honour to meet the Prime Minister of Japan.
Our countries agreed to formalise a coordinated a rapid-response mechanism, signing a historic joint statement on energy security. It showed yet again what we can achieve when we work together. Critical minerals Mining and energy has always been at the heart of our modern partnership.
Japan’s demand for resources and energy supported the development of Australia’s remarkable iron ore and coal export industries. Japanese demand and investment in gas has also helped build our modern LNG industry into the export powerhouse it is today. Critical minerals are the next chapter.
The minerals required for Japan’s decarbonisation are the ones Australia is best placed to supply. Just as Australia is best placed to supply the critical minerals needed to support Japan’s advanced manufacturing and automotive sectors, and Japan’s defence manufacturing and national security. The Australia-Japan Critical Minerals Partnership, signed in October 2022, established the architecture: working groups, co-financing, coordination mechanisms.
During the visit of PM Takaichi, both governments announced a joint commitment to further elevate our critical minerals cooperation. That means critical minerals will now be a core pillar of our economic and national security relationship and will drive coordinated investment in strategic projects to address urgent supply chain vulnerabilities. And we will continue working together – as we have done on the Alcoa-Sojitz Gallium project in WA – investing together and with other likeminded partners to build more secure, diverse, and resilient supply chains.
These are the dividends of the years of trust we have built. Australia’s ambition goes beyond the export of raw materials. We want to move up the value chain, to supply processed and refined minerals.
This ambition will serve both countries well. It will capture more economic value for Australia while providing Japan with greater supply chain certainty and resilience. Japanese investment and expertise will be essential to developing Australian critical minerals projects, including processing, just as it has been with coal, iron ore, and gas.
Critical minerals sit within a larger frame: the commitment we share to our collective economic security. Australia and Japan are natural partners in addressing supply chain risks and disruptions. We have complementary strengths across mining, processing, and advanced manufacturing, underpinned by alignment on trade and security.
We are both interested in supply chain diversification to alleviate the dependencies that create vulnerabilities for both our nations. The two Joint Declarations signed by PM Takaichi and Prime Minister Albanese in May, on Economic Security Cooperation and Enhanced Defence and Security Cooperation, are prime examples of how our relationship is evolving to address these risks.
And that cooperation of course includes how we work together to deliver the Mogami-class frigates for the Royal Australian Navy. 50 years ago, the Basic Treaty asked a simple but very important question: could two nations, with different languages, cultures, and histories, build something lasting together? The answer has been unambiguous. The relationship between Australia and Japan is among the most stable, productive, and mutually beneficial in the region.
It has outlasted governments, absorbed economic shocks, weathered geopolitical turbulence, and emerged stronger each time. Our task now is to build the foundations for the next 50 years – based on our shared commitment to resilience and shared belief in democracy, freedom, the value of an open, rules-based order. The Nara Treaty established friendship in principle.
Since then, we have built a remarkable friendship in practice. The Department of Industry, Science and Resources recognises the First Peoples of this Nation and their ongoing cultural and spiritual connections to the lands, waters, seas, skies, and communities. We Acknowledge First Nations Peoples as the Traditional Custodians and Lore Keepers of the oldest living culture and pay respects to their Elders past and present.
We extend that respect to all First Nations Peoples. Stay informed of the latest ministry list on the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet website This website is managed by the Department of Industry, Science and Resources