OREANDA-NEWS. April 21, 2011. Prime Minister Kan welcomed Prime Minister Gillard to Japan and expressed the sincere gratitude of the Japanese Government for the assistance provided by Australia in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, including the dispatch of an Urban Search and Rescue Team to Miyagi Prefecture, the deployment of Royal Australian Air Force C-17 aircraft to assist with relief operations, and the donation of USD 10 million to the Australian Red Cross Japan and Pacific Disaster Appeal. He emphasized Japan's determination to overcome the recent tragedy and revitalize Japan, with a view to creating a new future.

Prime Minister Gillard expressed Australia's sorrow and grief over Japan's great losses. She affirmed Australia's friendship and solidarity with Japan and its people in the wake of the disaster and its readiness to support Japan's early recovery. She emphasized the Government's confidence in Japan's ability to recover quickly and to continue to play a strong and active role in the international community and global economy.

Nuclear safety
Prime Minister Kan expressed his determination to resolve the situation at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station and confirmed that Japan would continue to provide information to the international community with maximum transparency in relation to the response to the accident as well as on the safety of Japanese products, calling for measured responses based on sufficient scientific evidence. He also expressed his determination to thoroughly review the accident of the nuclear power plant in due course and to share the experiences gained from the accident with the international community. Prime Minister Gillard re-iterated the readiness of Australia to support Japan's efforts in resolving the situation.

The two Prime Ministers recognized the need to enhance their cooperation in the framework of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to globally strengthen the safety standards of nuclear power generation.

Energy and resources
Prime Minister Kan emphasized the importance of Australia as a longstanding energy supplier and close economic partner of Japan and expressed his expectations for continued stable supply of LNG and other energy and mineral resources to Japan. Prime Minister Gillard assured Prime Minister Kan that Australia would continue stable supply through commercial market mechanisms. Prime Minister Gillard also welcomed further investment by Japanese companies in LNG development in Australia, which would contribute to the stability of supply to Japan.

The two Prime Ministers also emphasized the importance of further promoting the development and use of clean energy and confirmed that the two countries would continue bilateral and multilateral cooperation in this area.

Disaster preparedness and response
The two Prime Ministers confirmed it was timely to further develop bilateral cooperation and to strengthen coordination in the civil and military areas on disaster preparedness and response. They also confirmed that Japan and Australia would continue to cooperate on disaster relief in international fora such as the Trilateral Strategic Dialogue (TSD), Security and Defence Cooperation Forum (SDCF), the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the East Asia Summit (EAS), based on any bilateral framework on disaster relief and humanitarian assistance.

Security and defence
The two Prime Ministers renewed their recognition that Japan and Australia were natural security partners by virtue of their shared strategic interests and values. They asked Foreign and Defence Ministers to take forward in the context of the next 2+2 meeting a vision for bilateral security and defence cooperation building on the Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation 2007 and other arrangements. They also expressed willingness to bring the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement into force as soon as possible and to conclude negotiations on an Information Security Agreement by the time of the next 2+2 meeting.
Trade policy
The two Prime Ministers recognised that trade investment liberalisation would be vital to the continuing health of the global and regional economy and to economic growth in the two countries. Taking into account the current circumstances in Japan and their implications, they confirmed that the two countries would conduct further negotiations leading to a conclusion of a comprehensive and mutually beneficial bilateral FTA/EPA. They also called for a successful conclusion of the WTO Doha Round negotiations as promptly as possible in light of the declarations at the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting and the G20 Summit last November.

Global issues
The two Prime Ministers confirmed that Japan and Australia should work together to achieve reform of the UN Security Council and other UN bodies to be more representative and effective, including enlargement in both the permanent and non-permanent categories of the Council. They would also continue to work together bilaterally and in global and regional fora. They confirmed the need to consolidate the G20 as the premier forum for international economic cooperation and to deliver strong outcomes at the G20 Summit to underpin the global recovery and job creation, including on the framework for strong, sustainable and balanced growth and on price volatility. They welcomed the forthcoming participation of the United States and Russia in the EAS and looked forward to the first meeting of the expanded EAS in Indonesia later this year. They confirmed they would work with ASEAN and other EAS members to support the development of a political, security and economic agenda for the EAS, while promoting existing priorities including CEPEA. They also looked forward to taking concrete actions to realize APEC's goals of free and open trade and investment and the Yokohama Vision for sustained growth and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region particularly in the areas of regulatory cooperation, green growth and regional economic integration this year.

The two Prime Ministers also confirmed that they would continue to work together to combat climate change, to alleviate poverty to enhance human security and to advance nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.