Canberra
Australia congratulates Mr Shinzo Abe on the Liberal Democratic Party's victory in Japan's lower house elections on 16 December.
Australia's close strategic partnership with Japan is built on shared values, common security interests and a longstanding friendship.
Japan is Australia's second largest trading partner with two-way trade more than doubling in the past ten years to reach $75.6 billion in 2011-12. Japan is also our largest Asian source of foreign investment, with a total stock of $123 billion in 2011.
Together we played a key role in the founding of APEC and in developing the roles of the East Asia Summit and the G20. Japan is a major contributor to the United Nations and we look forward to working with it during Australia's term as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.
As Japan's Prime Minister in 2007, Mr Abe visited Australia to participate in the APEC leaders' summit in Sydney.
I look forward to working with Mr Abe after he is sworn in to deepen and enhance our ties, including through completion of a high-quality and comprehensive Free Trade Agreement.
I would also like to acknowledge the contribution by Japan's outgoing Prime Minister, Mr Yoshihiko Noda, to strengthening Australia-Japan ties.