Relationship dossier
Australia
Japan
Relationship assessment
Close economic and security partners, with periodic tension over whaling.
Australia toward Japan
+70Australia has supported deeper security cooperation with Japan through the 2007 Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation, recurring foreign and defence ministerial consultations, joint exercises, and the 2022 Reciprocal Access Agreement. It has also pursued substantial trade cooperation through the Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement. Australia has opposed Japanese whaling, including through legal action at the International Court of Justice.
Japan toward Australia
+70Japan has developed security cooperation with Australia through the 2007 Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation, recurring ministerial consultations, joint exercises, and the 2022 Reciprocal Access Agreement. The Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement provides a framework for closer trade ties. Japanese whaling has been a source of disagreement with Australia.
Overall relationship
+70The relationship is anchored in sustained trade and increasingly close security cooperation, including formal security commitments, defence-force access arrangements, ministerial consultations, and joint exercises. These durable structures support a close partnership, while disagreement over Japanese whaling remains a notable source of friction.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Australia and Japan have built a close economic and security partnership, including a bilateral economic agreement, recurring ministerial security consultations, and a reciprocal access agreement for defence forces. Their cooperation has deepened through joint exercises and regional security coordination. Disputes over Japanese whaling have at times strained relations, but have not displaced the broader partnership.
Areas of tension
- Australia has opposed Japanese whaling, including Japan's whaling activities in the Southern Ocean.
Key developments
Australia and Japan signed a Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation.
The Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement entered into force.
Australia and Japan signed the Reciprocal Access Agreement, establishing a framework for visits by each country's defence forces.
The Reciprocal Access Agreement entered into force.
Major uncertainties
- The extent and practical implementation of cooperation under the reciprocal access agreement may evolve.
- The effect of ongoing disagreements over whaling on bilateral policy is uncertain.