Japan-Australia Leaders Meeting
[Provisional translation]
On May 24, commencing at 16:46 a.m. for approximately 75 minutes, Mr. KISHIDA Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan, held a leaders meeting with the Hon. Anthony Albanese, MP, Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia who was visiting Japan. The overview of the meeting is as follows. The first 20 minutes of the summit meeting was held between the two leaders alone.
1. At the outset, Prime Minister Kishida expressed his sincere congratulations on Mr. Albanese’s inaugration as Prime Minster, and expressed his gratitude for Prime Minister Albanese’s visit to Japan immediately after taking office. He also expressed his desire to establish a personal relationship with Prime Minister Albanese.
2. Recognizing that Russia's aggression against Ukraine undermines the very foundations of the international order, the two leaders condemned it severely and concurred that similar incidents must never be allowed to happen in the Indo-Pacific region. The two leaders concurred that, while the security environment in the Indo-Pacific region becomes severer, they would further strengthen the "Special Strategic Partnership" between Japan and Australia and work together with allies and like-minded countries to realize a "Free and Open Indo-Pacific."
3. The two leaders affirmed that Japan and Australia will continue to work closely together on the basis of three pillars: (1) deepening cooperation in the areas of security and defense and economy; (2) further coordination with allies and like-minded countries, including cooperation between Japan, Australia, India and the U.S., to contribute to peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region; and (3) cooperation on global issues such as climate change.
(1) In this regard, the two leaders confirmed that they will work toward the early entry into force of the Japan-Australia Reciprocal Access Agreement signed in January this year, and will proceed coordination concerning a new Japan-Australia Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation that will deepen security cooperation between Japan and Australia. The two leaders confirmed that they will work together in dealing with economic coercion. The two leaders also had a frank discussion on the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP11), taking into account strategic perspectives, and confirmed to work closely together to maintain its high standard and concurred to cooperate with each other for the United States to return to the TPP. The two leaders also shared the view that they will cooperate to realize sustainable and inclusive growth in the Indo-Pacific region, through the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), which was launched the previous day.
(2) The two leaders concurred on the importance of strengthening the network of allies and like-minded countries, including cooperation between Japan, Australia, India and the U.S., as well as between Japan, Australia and the U.S., and Prime Minister Kishida reiterated Japan's support for AUKUS. The two leaders also confirmed that Japan and Australia, together with other like-minded countries, will deepen coordination in the Pacific islands region. In this regard, they shared concerns about the security cooperation agreement between China and the Solomon Islands, and confirmed that they will continue to work closely together with the countries concerned.
(3) The two leaders confirmed that they will proceed Japan-Australia cooperation in the field of energy, including efforts toward carbon neutral, such as hydrogen and ammonia, and reinforcement of the energy supply chain. They also concurred to cooperate in efforts to achieve a world without nuclear weapons and on UN Security Council reform.