I am pleased to announce that I will visit Japan from 11 to 14 March.
Australia has no closer partner and friend in the region than Japan. Our bilateral relationship is based on shared values, complementary national interests and strong economic, strategic and people to people links.
2007 marks the 50th anniversary of the Australia-Japan Agreement on Commerce, which laid the foundation for our most successful trading relationship. Japan has been our largest export market for almost 40 years and two-way trade in goods and services was worth $53.9 billion in 2005-06. The decision to commence negotiations on a free trade agreement in 2007 presents an important opportunity to strengthen our close economic partnership.
Our cooperation on strategic issues is also growing, symbolised by our historic collaboration in Iraq and our membership of the Trilateral Strategic Dialogue.
The longstanding friendship between our countries is also based on enduring people to-people links. Japan is our third-largest source of overseas tourists, with over 650,000 Japanese visiting Australia in 2006. Japan is also our seventh-largest source of international students.
While in Japan, I will meet Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and other Japanese Ministers to discuss the further strengthening of our bilateral ties.