Negotiating the Australia–Japan Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation : Reflections and Afterthoughts

This projects concern for diplomatic history is admirable, and my remarks will be directed towards encouraging the cause. Despite the best efforts of the Historical Documents Section of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), diplomatic history is languishing in Australian universities, as elsewhere, As evidence, I cite the under-whelming reception of Peter Edwards fine biography of Arthur Tange1 and academias muted notice of the 30th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam war and the 40th anniversary of Australias involvement, despite, I argue, their contemporary relevance.

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The next six months are make or break time for the government of Bob Hawke and Paul Keating

Negotiating the Australia–Japan Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation: Reflections and Afterthoughts

This project’s concern for diplomatic history is admirable, and my remarks will be directed towards encouraging the cause. Despite the best efforts of the Historical Documents Section of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), diplomatic history is languishing in Australian universities, as elsewhere, As evidence, I cite the under-whelming reception of Peter Edwards’ fine biography of Arthur Tange1 and academia’s muted notice of the 30th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam war and the 40th anniversary of Australia’s involvement, despite, I argue, their contemporary relevance.

Negotiating the Australia–Japan basic treaty of friendship and cooperation: reflections and afterthoughts

The thirtieth anniversary of the signature of the Australia–Japan Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation in 2006 offered an opportunity to review the significance of this event for Australia–Japan relations. Garry Woodard was the leader of the Australian negotiating team that completed the task of concluding the negotiations. Retiring from his career as an Australian diplomat in 1986 after serving as Australian Ambassador in Beijing, Garry has written extensively about Australian foreign policy at the University of Melbourne, reflecting from his lengthy experience on some of the underlying issues in his writings. Here he provides for the first time a rather personal recollection of the political and other forces that affected his task, positively and negatively. Max Suich approaches this subject from the perspective of a journalist, an outsider who was nevertheless an extremely close observer of the events leading up to, and after, the signature of the treaty. Based on his own analyses of the times, as well as his own extensive contacts with many of the key players in Australia – Japan relations, inside and outside the government, Max offers some salutary thoughts on what happened, and on what might have happened. Why were officials on both sides so cautious when other important stakeholders, such as the business community, were prepared to have a more trusting relationship?, he asks. Moreen Dee is a professional historian working in the Department of Foreign Affairs who has a second-to-none knowledge of the main Australian archives of the treaty negotiations, but who claims no special expertise on Australian– Japanese relations. Her official monograph was published by the Australian Government as \u27Friendship and cooperation: the 1976 Basic Treaty between Australia and Japan\u27 to mark the thirtieth anniversary. Interpreting some of the tensions and pressures that faced the Australian decision-makers, Moreen’s present paper provides insights that did not make it into the official account. Yet, Moreen reminds us, there is even more to be told if the archives from the Treasury and Immigration Departments were to be explored