Australia-Japan Foreign and Defence Ministers’ meeting

Joint media release

• Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Marise Payne
• Minister for Defence, The Hon Christopher Pyne MP

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Marise Payne and Minister for Defence, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP will host their Japanese counterparts on 10 October in Sydney to advance Australia’s relationship with our closest strategic and economic partner in Asia.

 Ministers will participate in the eighth Australia-Japan 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministers’ Meeting with Japan’s Foreign Minister Taro Kono and Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya.

Australia and Japan are closely aligned in our pursuit of shared strategic, security and economic interests. We share a commitment to uphold the international rules-based order that has brought stability and prosperity to our region and enables countries of all sizes to pursue their interests free of coercion.

We will continue our close dialogue on regional issues, including maintaining pressure on North Korea to take concrete steps towards complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation. We will discuss further deepening our practical security engagement.

Australia and Japan have a strong and vibrant economic relationship, underpinned by the 2015 Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement.

Australia and Japan also led efforts to secure closer economic and strategic ties through the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP-11), which will provide Australian exporters and farmers even greater access to the world’s third largest economy.

Ministers will also discuss opportunities to support regional infrastructure investment in the Indo-Pacific.

Australia and Japan are working closely to help maintain a peaceful Indo-Pacific, as affirmed under the Australia-Japan Special Strategic Partnership.