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Japan-Australia Summit Meeting


Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Photograph of Prime Minister Abe shaking hands with Prime Minister Howard Photograph of the Japan-Australia Summit Meeting
Photograph of the two leaders attending the joint press conference Photograph of the two leaders and first ladies in a commemorative photograph session


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Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a meeting with Mr. John Howard, the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia, at the Prime Minister's Official Residence.

At the beginning of the meeting, Prime Minister Abe said to Prime Minister Howard, "I cordially welcome your visit to Japan. I would like to take this opportunity to express once again my gratitude for the cooperation extended by the Australian troops to Japan's Self-Defense Forces in their duties in Samawah in southern Iraq."

During the meeting, the two leaders agreed to further strengthen the cooperation between their countries in addressing security challenges such as North Korea issues, reconstruction assistance to Iraq, and countermeasures for terrorism, and shared the determination that both countries would contribute to regional and global peace and stability.

The two leaders furthermore discussed a wide range of issues such as the negotiations for an economic partnership agreement (EPA) between Japan and Australia, the abduction issue, Iraq issues, the United Nations (UN) Security Council reform and climate change issues.

After the meeting, the two leaders signed the Japan-Australia Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation, with the aim of further strengthening comprehensive strategic relations between the two countries. Afterwards they held a joint press conference and then attended a dinner together with the first ladies.