‘Respectful’ Japan steps into the breach

There is a direct correlation between how Australia’s relations with China get worse and how they get better with Japan.

Both in bilateral and multilateral relationships, the long, trusted and mutual exchange between Japan and Australia, initially based on trade and investment, has bloomed under the shadow of the rising dominance and threat from China in the Indo-Pacific.

As Chinese diplomats make open demands for Australia to address Beijing’s complaints and for “more respect”, Japanese counterparts are going out of their way to offer support, congratulations and the prospect of limitless positive growth in the areas of not just trade and business investment but also in security, military co-operation, regional project building, low-carbon emission energy development and even enhanced intelligence sharing.

Tokyo’s newest appointment as ambassador in Canberra, Shingo Yamagami, sees only advancement in Japanese-Australian relations with a loud call that the “sky’s the limit”.

It is the Japanese and Australian advances towards multinational security and regional investment that are the area of growth.

The addition of India to the traditional trilateral security agreements between Australia, Japan and the US, which had recently developed a new import and momentum, is creating the proportionate response to Chinese regional power.

Military and security co-operation in the South China Sea and Indo-Pacific is an obvious counterweight to the vast Chinese military presence but the encouragement for greater infrastructure investment in the Pacific region is the key to balancing, not containing, China’s influence through investment.

While China ponders a $39bn outpost in PNG, Japan is seeking to finance communications, energy and port facilities in conjunction with Australia and the US while speaking respectfully if positively about relations and responsibilities in the Indo-Pacific.