"Japan is one of Australias most important security partners. In the past, it was the trade and foreign policy aspects of the relationship that dominated. But over the last decade and a half the bilateral security relationship has steadily grown, and in the last few years it has accelerated to a new level. The signing of the Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation in March 2007 was a strategic landmark. Australia is the only country that Japan has such an agreement with apart from the United States. However, there is now a new Government in Australia and a new Prime Minister in Japan. We need to assess if the higher pace of security cooperation will be sustained or whether there will now be a tendency on each side to moderate the importance of the relationship. This paper addresses how the bilateral defence and security relationship has developed in recent years and where Japan now ranks in Australia's security priorities. The importance of the Declaration and the relevance of the Trilateral Strategic Dialogue with the United States are also addressed. The final section deals with some specific ideas to build on our current security cooperation in a more practical manner"--Publisher
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references
Notes
Also available (free download) in an electronic version via the Internet at the publisher's home page: http://rspas.anu.edu.au/papers/sdsc/wp/wp_sdsc_407.pdf
