PRIME MINISTER
ADDRESS BY THE PRIME MINISTER, HON. R. J. L. HAWKE, AC, MP
DINNER GIVEN BY THE PRIME MINISTER FOR THE JAPANESE
PRIME MINISTER, MR NAKASONE
IMPERIAL HOTEL
TOKYO 2 FEBRUARY
MR PRIME MINISTER, MRS NAKASONE, MR PRESIDENT, MR SPEAKER,
MEMBERS OF THE DIET, DISTINGUISHED GUESTS, LADIES AND GENTLEMENT.
MAY I THANK YOU AGAIN MR PRIME MINISTER, AND MEMBERS OF YOUR
CABINET, FOR THE WELCOME YOU HAVE EXTENDED TO ME WHILE I HAVE
BEEN IN TOKYO.
MAY I ALSO EXPRESS, ON BEHALF OF MRS HAWKE AND MYSELF, OUR PLEASURE
AND HONOUR AT HAVING LUNCHEON TODAY AS GUESTS OF HIS IMPERIAL
HIGHNESS, THE EMPEROR OF JAPAN. WE TAKE THIS AS AN EXPRESSION OF
F: RIENDSHIP ADDRESSED TO THE PEOPLE OF AUSTRALIA BY THE PEOPLE OF
JAPAN. WE KNOW THAT IT ALSO REFLECTS THE PERSONAL INTEREST AND
FRIENDSHIP OF THE IMPERIAL FAMILY FOR AUSTRALIA.
THE DISCUSSIONS WE HAVE HELD HERE IN TOKYO HAVE REAFFIRMED ME
IN MY CONVICTION THAT THERE IS A VERY GOOD, VERY SOLID AND VERY
CLOSE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OUR TWO COUNTRIES.
AS ONE WHO IS NO STRANGER TO AUSTRALIA YOU WOULD KNOW, MR PRIME
MINISTERP THAT ' AUSTRALIANS SPEND MUCH TIME REVIEWING THE
RELATIONSHI1P WITH JAPAN. POLITICIANS DO IT, OUR BUEAUCRATIC
ADVISERS DO IT, AND NEED I SAY JOURNALISTS DO IT. I THINK
THE SAME HAPPENS IN JAPAN. WE ASK THE QUESTIONS: DOES JAPAN
UNDERSTAND AND DOES JAPAN CARE ABOUT AUSTRALIA AND ABOUT AUSTRALIAJAPAN
RELATIONS? FROM OUR DISCUSSIONS I BELIEVE THE ANSWER IS YES.
THIS IS A POLITICAL COMMITMENT THAT WE EACH SHARE AND VALUE.
AT THE SAME TIME IT IS A COMMITMENT THAT WE AGREE REQUIRES
CONTINUING WORK TO BE SUSTAINED AND TO GROW AS IT SHOULD.
I AM REMINDED OF THE I ' EUCALYPTUS SOLUTION' YOU PROPOSED LAST
NIGHT. MR PRIME MINISTER, IT WAS NEARLY TWELVE YEARS AGO THAT YOU
BROUGHT EUCALYPTUS SEEDS FROM AUSTRALIA TO YOUR VILLA HERE IN JAPAN.
YOU HAVE NURTURED THEM AND SEEN THEM GROW INTO STRONG STURDY TREES.
OVER A SOMEWHAT LONGER PERIOD THE AUSTRALIA/ JAPAN RELATIONSHIP
HAS SIMILARLY GROWN AND MATURED. NOW PERHAPS, WITH KOALAS COMING
TO JAPAN, WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL THEY DO NOT GET AT YOUR TREES
THEY LOVE GOOD EUCALYPTS BUT INSTEAD CONTRIBUTE POSITIVELY TO THE
DEVEiLOPMENT OF RELATIONS BETWEEN OUR COUNTRIES.
2.
EITHER WAY, THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OUR TWO COUNTRIES
SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN FOR GRANTED IT MUST BE WORKED ON.
M1R PRIME MINISTER,
TrHE INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC SITUATIONS ARE AT
A CRITICAL JUNCTURE.
IN INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL AFFAIRS THERE ARE MANY REGIONAL
' TENSIONS AND CONFLICTS. AT GLOBAL STRATEGIC LEVEL A SENSE
OF EXASPERATION AND DEEP CONCERN AFFECTS US ALL.
IN ECONOMIC AFFAIRS WE ARE AT A CRUCIAL STAGE OF RECOVERY.
IN BOTH SPHERES, WE NEED TO APPROACH THE FUTURE WITH A DETERMINATION
q'OT ONLY TO DEFEND OUR NATIONAL INTERESTS, BUT ALSO TO GRASP
OPPORTUNITIES FOR DIALOGUE AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF NEW FRAMEWORKS FOR
PEACE AND PROSPERITY.
IN THIS REGARD, MR PRIME MINISTER, I AM IMPRESSED BY THE MANNER IN
W4HICH YOU ARE MAKING JAPAN'S VOICE HEARD IN WORLD AFFAIRS AUSTRALIA
WELCOMES THIS.
IN THE INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL AND SECURITY ARENA THERE IS SOMETIMES
A DICHOTOMY OF CHOICE: TO STAND MILITANTLY AGAINST THE SOVIET UNION
AND ITS ALLIES, OR TO CAPITULATE. THE REALITY MUST BE BETWEEN THESE
' TWO STARK ALTERNATIVES.
WE KNOW THAT YOUR OWN RELATIONS WITH THE SOVIET UNION HAVE
FRENQUENTLY BEEN DIFFICULT AND VERY RARELY RELAXED OR PRODUCTIVE.
JAPAN HAS NEVERTHELESS CONTINUED TO SEEK CONSTRUCTIVE DIALOGUE AND
CO-OPERATION IN THE FACE OF SOVIET INFLEXIBILITY. AUSTRALIA TAKES A
BROADLY SIMILAR APPROACH.
THE CONSOLIDATION AND FURTHER EXTENSION OF SOVIET MILITARY POWER
WITHIN THE ASIAN REGION, WHICH ALREADY FAR EXCEEDS NORMAL DEFENSIVE
REQUIREMENTS, MUST BE A SOURCE OF CONTINUING CONCERN TO ALL OF US.
WE RECOGNISE THAT JAPAN MAKES AN EFFECTIVE CONTRIBUTION TO WESTERN
STRATEGIC INTERESTS THROUGH ITS SELF DEFENCE FORCES AND THE PROVISION
OF BASES AND OTHER FACILITIES FOR THE UNITED STATES IN JAPAN, WITHIN
THE FRAMEWORK OF YOUR MUTUAL SECURITY TREATY.
I KNOW THAT THERE IS INTENSE PREOCCUPATION IN JAPAN ABOUT FUTURE
DEFENCE AND SECURITY POLICY. I HAVE BEEN ASSURED, IN OUR
DISCUSSIONS, THAT JAPAN WILL, WHEN EXERCISING ITS SOVEREIGN RIGHTS IN
THIS AREA, CONTINUE TO MAKE A SUBSTANTIAL AND POSITIVE CONTRIBUTION
TO REGIONAL STABILITY, PARTICULARLY THROUGH ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE, BUT
ALSO THROUGH POLITICAL AND DIPLOMATIC ACTIVITY. THAT CONTRIBUTION,
MADE AS I KNOW IT WILL BE WITH DUE CARE AND SENSITIVITY FOR THE
INTERESTS OF COUNTRIES OF THE REGION, IS APPRECIATED.
THE CAMBODIAN SITUATION, BROUGHT ABOUT BY THE VIETNAMESE INVASION
WHICH AUSTRALIA AND JAPAN HAVE EACH CONDEMNED, CARRIES DISTURBING
-IMPLICATIONS FOR PEACEFUL RELATIONS AMONG AI. L COUNTRIES OF OUR
REGION.
WE BELIEVE THAT RESOLUTION OF THE SITUATION IN CAMBODIA REQUIRES
THE FOLLOWING ELEMENTS:
* A PHASED WITHDRAWAL LEADING TO TOTAL WITHDRAWAL OF
VIETNAMESE TROOPS
* AN ACT OF SEL-DETERMINATION BY THE CAMBODIAN PEOPLE
* THE CREATION OF CONDITIONS WHICH WOULD
PERMIT DISPLACED CAMBODIANS TO RETURN TO
THEIR COUNTRY
* THE EMERGENCE OF A FREE, INDEPENDENT AND
NON-ALIGNED CAMBODIA.
WE RECOGNISE THAT VIETNAM'S PRESENT POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC ISOLATION
IS THE RESULT OF DELIBERATE AND CONSCIOUS ACTIO1NS UNDERTAKEN BY
ITSELF. AUSTRALIA NEVERTHELESS ATTACHES CONSIDERABLE IMPORTANCE TO
THE ENDING OF THAT ISOLATION AND THE ASSOCIATED GROWING RELIANCE ON
THE SOVIET UNION WHICH IN OUR JUDGEMENT, IS SIMPLY ENTRENCHING GREAT
POWER RIVALRY IN THE REGION.
BECAUSE AUSTRALIA HAS AN ABILITY TO SPEAK TO ALL THE MAIN
PROTAGONISTS IN THE INDO-CHINA PROBLEM THE ASEAN COUNTRIES, CHINA,
THE UNITED STATES AND VIETNAM ITSELF WE WILL CONTINUE, WITHIN THE
LIMITS OF OUR CAPACITY, TO DO WHAT WE CAN TO PROMOTE PROGRESS TOWARDS
A SETTLEMENT.
AS YOU KNOW I WILL SHORTLY BE VISITING CHINA AND I UNDERSTAND THAT
YOU WILL ALSO IN MARCH. IT GIVES US GREAT CONFIDENCE TH4AT RELATIONS
BETWEEN CHINA AND JAPAN AND THE UNITED STATES HAVE MADE SO MUCH
PROGRESS IN RECENT YEARS. THE HIGH LEVEL VISITS BETWEEN CHINA AND
JAPAN, CULMINATING IN THE VISIT HERE LAST YEAR OF SECRETARY GENERAL
HU YAOBANG, MARK AN IMPORTANT AND MUTUALLY RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN TWO GREAT ASIAN COUNTRIES. THE HIGH LEVEL. VISITS BETWEEN
CHINA AND THE UNITED STATES, ORIGINALLY THAT OF MR DENG AND NOW THAT
OF MR ZHAO AND MR REAGAN, CARRY THE PROMISE OF GREATER STABILITY AND
UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN TWO VITALLY IMPORTANT MAJOR POWERS.
WE ALL HAVE A CLOSE INTEREST IN CONTINUED PROGRESS IN THESE CONTACTS.
THERE ARE ALSO A NUMBER OF MAJOR ECONOMIC CHALLENGES WE ALL FACE.
AS WE ENTER 1984i THERE ARE GROUNDS FOR OPTIMISM THAT THE ECONOMIC
RECOVERY WHICH COMMENCED IN THE UNITED STATES LAST YEAR WILL CONTINUE
AND WILL STIMULATE A RETURN TO GROWTH IN OTHER REGIONS. IT IS VITAL
THAT THE OPPORTUNITIES PRESENTED BY THE RECOVERY ARE NOT LOST.,
INFLATION FOR THE MOMENT. HAS MODERATED BUT THE ECONOMIC UPTURN HAS
YET TO MAKE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON UNEMPLOYMENT IN MOST COUNTRIES
OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES. IT IS MY VIEW THAT THE SUCCESS OF THE
RECOVERY MUST ULTIMATELY BE JUDGED BY ITS IMPACT ON EMPLOYMENT AS
WELL AS IN TERMS OF INCREASED TOTAL OUTPUT.
OPTIMISM ABOUT THE COURSE OF THE RECOVERY MUST BE TEMPERED, HOWEVER,
BY THE REAL CONCERNS GENERATED BY LARGE BUDGET DEFICITS, CONTINUING
HIGH REAL INTEREST RATES, PROTECTIONISM AND RESISTANCE TO STRUCTURAL
CHANGE, THE DEBT PROBLEMS OF MANY DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, AND VOLATILE
EXCHANGE FLOWS, THIS LIST IS LONG AND THE ISSUES ARE INTER-CONNECTED.
THE SOLUTION TO THESE PROBLEMS DOES NOT LIE WITHIN THE CAPACITY OR
CONTROL OF ANY ONE COUNTRY. IT REQUIRES A MIX OF APPROPRIATE
DOMESTIC POLICIES AND CO-OPERATIVE APPROACHES AT BOTH THE REGIONAL
AND GLOBAL LEVEL.
AUSTRALIA AND JAPAN SHARE A KEEN INTEREST IN THE MAINTENANCE OF
AN OPEN INTERNATIONAL TRADE SYSTEM.
WE SHARE THE VIEW THAT SIGNIFICANT, SUSTAINABLE AND BROADLY BASED
ECONOMIC RECOVERY IS DEPENDENT UPON AN EXPANSION IN WORLD TRADE.
THERE IS AN URGENT NEED TO EXPLORE WAYS OF REDUCING OBSTACLES IN
THE PATH OF SUCH AN EXPANSION.
FULL AND EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROGRAM AGREED AT THE 1982
GATT MINISTERIAL MEETING IS AN ESSENTIAL FIRST STEP. A NEW ROUND OF
MULTILATERAL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS, AS PROPOSED MOST NOTABLY BY YOU, MR
PRIME MINISTER, COULD BE AN INVALUABLE FURTHER STEP.
I PROPOSED IN A SPEECH IN BANGKOK LAST NOVEMBER THAT WE AS A REGION
CONSIDER HOW WE MIGHT BEST APPROACH PREPARATIONS FOR SUCH
NEGOTIATIONS. I SAID AT THAT TIME THAT THE CHANCES FOR SUCH
NEGOTIATIONS. I SAID AT THAT TIME THAT TH4E CHANCES OF ACHIEVING AN
APPROPRIATELY STRUCTURED ROUND OF NEGOTIATIONS WOULD BE GREATLY
ENHANCED IF COUNTRIES OF THE REGION WERE DELIBERATELY TO IDENTIFY
THEIR OWN INTERESTS IN SUCH A ROUND, WERE TO CONSIDER HOW BEST TO
SECURE ATTENTION TO THEIR INTERESTS, AND WERE TO APPLY THEIR FULL AND
UNITED WEIGHT TO THEIR ACHIEVEMENT.
I STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO ENHANCE THE PROSPECTS
OF BROAD MULTILATERAL ACTION AND THUS CONTRIBUTE IMPORTANTLY TO
GLOBAL ECONOMIC WELFARE THROUGH CONSTRUCTIVE REGIONAL CO-OPERATION.
I DO NOT WANT, OF COURSE, TO UNDERSTATE THE DIFFICULTIES INVOLVED.
OUR SPECIAL INTERESTS ARE DIVERSE.
THE DYNAMISM OF THE MARKET ECONOMIES OF THIS REGION, HOWEVER, HINGES
ON A COMMON APPRECIATION OF THE IMPORTANCE OF TRADE LIBERALISATION.
FOLLOWING MY TALKS HERE IN TOKYO, MR PRIME MINISTER, I AM CONVINCED
THAT SCOPE EXISTS FOR US TO CO-OPERATE CLOSELY WITH EACH4 OTHER AND
WITH OTHER COUNTRIES IN OUR REGION IN PREPARATIONS FOR A NEW TRADE
ROUND IN A MANNER THAT COULD RESULT IN BENEFITS TO US ALL.
I KNOW YOU SHARE THIS CONVICTION.
TO LEAVE TOKYO WITH THIS IMPRESSION ALONE WOULD HAVE JUSTIFIED MY
VISIT. BUT, MR PRIME MINISTER, THIS HAS BEEN ONLY ONE ASPECT OF AN IMMENSELY
SATISFYING FEW DAYS.
I THINK IT ALSO IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE MANAGED SO CLEARLY TO
ESTABLISH WHERE OUR COMMON INTERESTS LIE, AND ON THIS BASIS TO
HAVE IDENTIFIED FURTHER FIELDS FOR CO-OPERATIVE ENDEAVOUR BETWEEN OUR
TWO COUNTRIES.
A GOOD START HAS BEEN MADE IN REVITALISING THE IMMENSELY IMPORTANT
AUSTRALIA/ JAPAN RELATIONSHIP.
I WOULD VERY MUCH HOPE MR PRIME MINISTER THAT BEFORE VERY LONG
YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO VISIT US IN AUSTRALIA TO CARRY FURTHER WHAT
WE HAVE BEGUN HERE SO SUCCESSFULLY.