62nd Annual Australia-Japan Joint Business Conference

The 62nd Annual Australia-Japan Joint Business Conference was held in Perth from October 5 to 7. The conference was last held in Perth 17 years ago in 2008.

Mr Akiyoshi Kato, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Economy, Trade and Industry, and Chiba Governor, Mr Toshihito Kumagai both visited Perth to attend this conference.
 

1. 62nd Annual Australia-Japan Joint Business Conference (Oct 5-7)

The Australia-Japan Joint Business Conference is a major conference held with the aim of strengthening the economic relationship between Japan and Australia, bringing together leading businesspeople and top officials from both countries for discussions on a broad range of themes such as economics, trade, investment, national security and the environment. The conference is an annual conference hosted alternately between Japan and Australia, with Perth hosting it this year.
 
The conference was attended by approximately 700 delegates, who participated in discussions around the rapidly changing nature of global economic, political and security environments, with the conference theme of “Navigating New Realities - Turbulence, Transition and Technology”, looking at how our two countries can navigate these uncertainties together. The joint statement included a commitment to closer cooperation between Japan and Australia in areas such as defence industries, energy security, decarbonisation, and critical minerals. It also highlighted that the 50th Anniversary of the signing of the Basic Treaty of Friendship and Co-operation between Australia and Japan in 2026 would provide an opportunity for strengthening co-operation to advance exchange in various fields.
 
Among the attendees from the Japan side, were Mr Akiyoshi Kato, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Economy, Trade and Industry, Mr Toshihito Kumagai, Governor of Chiba Prefecture, HE Kazuhiro Suzuki, Ambassador of Japan to Australia, and Mr Michiaki Hirose, Chairman of Japan-Australia Business Co-operation Committee (JABCC). Attendees from the Australia side included The Hon Madeleine King MP, Federal Minister for Resources and Minister for Northern Australia, The Hon Roger Cooke MLA, Premier of Western Australia, The Hon David Michael MLA, Minister for Mines and Petroleum; Finance; Electoral Affairs; Goldfields-Esperance, HE Justin Hayhurst, Australian Ambassador to Japan, and Mr Peter Grey, President of Australia Japan Business Co-operation Committee (AJBCC).

Governor Kumagai made a speech at the closing session where he announced that next year’s conference will be held in Chiba Prefecture in Japan.
 

2. Mr Akiyoshi Kato, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Economy, Trade and Industry’s visit to Perth (October 5-6)

Parliamentary Vice-Minister Kato made a keynote address at the Conference, where he mentioned three key points to deepen Japan-Australia ties, including comprehensive supply chain cooperation on critical minerals and other areas. During the visit, he exchanged views with The Hon. Madeleine King MP, Australia’s Minister for Resources and Minister for Northern Australia, and The Hon. Roger Cook MLA, Premier of Western Australia.

3. Chiba Governor Kumagai’s visit to Perth (October 5-8)

1) Governor Kumagai paid a courtesy call on His Excellency The Hon Chris Dawson, Governor of Western Australia, and met with The Hon Roger Cook MLA, Premier of Western Australia. In both meetings he spruiked the beauty of Chiba Prefecture as the host of next year’s 63^rd Australia Japan Business Co-operation Committee Conference, and extended each of them an invitation to attend.

2) Reception

A reception was held at the Consul-General’s Official Residence to welcome Governor Kumagai to Perth.

The reception was attended by HE The Hon Chris Dawson, Governor of Western Australia, The Hon David Michael MLA, Minister for Mines and Petroleum; Finance; Electoral Affairs; Goldfields-Esperance, HE Justin Hayhurst, Australian Ambassador to Japan, Mr Peter Grey, AJBCC President, HE Kazuhiro Suzuki, Ambassador of Japan to Australia, and Mr Michiaki Hirose, JABCC Chairman. It was also attended by many people from the Japanese and Australian business communities.

The reception provided a valuable opportunity for deepening exchange between people in both the public and private sectors of Japan and Australia.

The reception was opened with a speech by Mr Atsushi Karimata, Consul-General of Japan, who praised the success of the 62nd Australia Japan Business Co-operation Committee Conference, and expressed his expectations that it would lead to a deepening of the ties between Japan and Western Australia.

This was followed by a speech from HE The Hon Chris Dawson, Governor of Western Australia, who touched on the strength and importance of the economic ties between Japan and Western Australia, while also expressing his hope that the friendship would continue to grow stronger moving forward.

Chiba Governor Kumagai also made some remarks, speaking about Chiba’s hosting of the conference next year, and detailing how Chiba Prefecture, with the largest port in Japan, is a key location for industry and logistics, which underpin Japanese growth. He also made a toast using Japanese Sake from Chiba Prefecture to highlight Chiba Prefecture’s drawcards to good effect.