SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER JAPAN/ AUSTRALIA SOCIETY RECEPTION:-
TOKYO 16 MAY 1986
PROFESSOR SAITO, MEMBERS OF THE JAPAN-AUSTRALIA SOCIETY,
DISTINGUISHED GUESTS.
MEMBERS OF THE JAPAN/ AUSTRALIA SOCIETY KNOW VERY WELL THE
IMPORTANCE OF THE ECONOMIC RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OUR TWO COUNTRIES
A ND THE CLOSENESS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE AUSTRALIAN AND
JAPANESE GOVERNMENTS.
I HAVE DISCUSSED OUR ECONOMIC RELATIONS IN DETAIL IN AN ADDRESS
EARLIER TODAY, WHAT I WANT TO EMPHASISE TO YOU THIS EVENING IS
A COMMENT I MADE AT A SYMPOSIUM HELD EARLIER THIS YEAR IN MELBOURNE.
I POINTED OUT THEN THAT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OUR COUNTRIES Is
NOT JUST A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TRADERS IN THE MARKET PLACE OR
BETWEEN GOVERNMENTS IN THE ARENA OF FOREIGN POLICY , IT IS ALSO
A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PEOPLE, To ME, ONE OF THE MOST HEARTENING
DEVELOPMENTS IN AUSTRALIA/ JAPAN RELATIONS HAS BEEN THE lIlvCREA3ING
STRENGTH OF CONTACT AND UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN AUSTRALIANS AND
JAIPANESE. TOURISM FROM JAPAN To AUSTRALIA PASSED THE 100,000 MARK LAST YEAR.
CULTURAL EXCHANGES ARE NOW TAKING PLACE AT ALL LEVELS. A GROWING
NUMBER OF AUSTRALIAN ARTISTIC GROUPS AND INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS ARE
VISITING JAPAN. JAPANESE PERFORMER'S AND EXHIBITIONS ARE
INCREASINGLY SOUGHT FOR CULTURAL FESTIVALS IN AUSTRALIA. THE
APPRECIATION OF JAPANESE CULTURE IN AUSTRALIA HAS NOW REACHED A
SOPHISTICATED LEVEL. -WHAT COULD-BE A BETTER SIGN'THAN THAT YOUTH
EXCHANGE IS A GROWTH AREA? MORE AND MORE YOUNG AUSTRALIANS STUDY
JAPANESE AND ONLY A FEW DAYS AGO AN AUSTRALIAN STUDIES CENTRE WAS
OPENED AT NANZAN UNIVERSITY~ IN THIS COUNTRY, AUSTRALIAN STUDIES
ARE TAUGHT AT TOKYO UNIVERSITY AND FIVE OTHER UNIVERSITIES IN
THIS CITY,
IN THESE WAYS WE ARE BUILDING WITH JAPAN THE SORT OF RELATIONSHIP
WHICH SHOULD CHARACTERISE AUSTRALIAN RELATIONS WITH THE COUNTRIES
OF ASIA GENERALLY, FOR THESE COUNTRIES ARE AND WILL ALWAYS BE
AMONGST OUR NEAREST NEIGHBOURS.
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I WOULD LIKE TO TELL YOU THAT THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT HAS
RECENTLY TAKEN A MAJOR INITIATIVE WHICH WILL GIVE VERY TANGIBLE
AND PRACTICAL EXPRESSION TO OUR COMMITMENT TO BUILD MATURE,
BENEFICIAL AND LONG TERM RELATIONS WITH ASIA. I AM REFERRING TO
* THE GOVERNMENT'S DECISION TO ESTABLISH AN ASIAN STUDIES COUNCIL
TO PROMOTE THE STRENGTHENING OF ASIAN STUDIES AT EVERY LEVEL OF
THE AUSTRALIAN EDUCATION SYSTE, AND ALSO TO MEET THE NEEDS OF
INDUSTRY WHICH MUST BECOME INCREASINGLY INTEGRATED WITH ECONOMIC
GROWTH IN THE REGION. WHAT WE ARE SEEKING IS PRODUCTIVE INTER-,
DEPENDENCE BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND ASIA, I REPEAT THAT WHAT HAS
BEEN HAPPtEING ' RrTh JAPAN TS IN MANY WAYS A MODEL FOR THIS LARGER
ASPIRATION. IN FOREIGN POLICY AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, AUSTRALIA AND JAPAN
START FROM A SOLID BASE OF SHARED INTE-REST$ WHICH INCLUDE, BUT
EXTEND WELL BEYOND, THE SECURITY AND STABILITY OF THE ASIA-PACIFIC
REGION. WE ALSO HAVE A FUNDAMENTAL INTEREST IN GLOBAL SECURITY
AND STABILITY IN CASE IT MIGHT BE THOUGHT THAT THAT IS RATHER
ABSTRACT LET ME SAY THAT IT Io THE FOUNDATION OF THE ROLES
AUSTRALIA AND JAPAN EACH TRIES TO PLAY ON CURRENT ISSUES OF GREAT
MOMENT, RANGING FROM THE PRESERVATION OF AN OPEN INTERNATIONAL
TRADING SYSTEM TO ENCOURAGEMENT OF PEACE AND DISARMAMENT AND THE
COMBATTING OF TERRORISM.
IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR RELATIONS YOUR SOCIETY HAS LONG PLAYED
A ROLE OF WHICH YOU CAN BE PROUD, AND BEFORE CONCLUDING,
1--IPRRE SIDENT, I WANT TO THANK YOU" FOR YOUR LATEST UNDERTAKING.
THE SOCIETY IS PROVIDING THE SECRETARIAT FOR THE FUND WHICH HAS
BEEN ESTABLISHED TO ENABLE THE JAPANESE PRIVATE SECTOR TO CONTRIBUTE
TO THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL BICENTENARY SCIENCE CENTRE AS PART OF
JAPAN'S. PARTICIPATION IN THE AUSTRALIAN BICENTENARY IN 1988. I AM
DEEPLY APPRECIATIVE OF TI-E EFFORT-THAT THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT
AND BUSINESS WORLD ARE MAKING TO COMMEMORATE THE BICENTENARY AND
OF THE EFFORT OF THE SOCIETY ITSELF. I VERY MUCH HOPE THAT MANY
OF YOUR MEMBERS WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT US IN AUSTRALIA
IN OUR BICENTENARY YEAR.