Language, military initiatives welcome

MEASURES to ensure Japanese is offered to all Australian students are included in the government's Asian Century white paper.

MEASURES to ensure Japanese is offered to all Australian students and to develop a new country-specific diplomatic strategy for Japan in the Asia white paper have underscored the importance of the countries' relationship.

The white paper also flags further tightening of defence ties between Japan and Australia as the battle for resources and territory and political clout intensifies in North Asia.

The Australian recently revealed another major step in Australian-Japanese defence ties with a pact to swap technology aimed partly at allowing Australia to import propulsion technology for new submarines.

The white paper notes the importance of the Japan relationship in an economic, political, cultural and strategic sense and points to the countries' "shared values".

It also notes that Japan's supply chains in Asia have become a key trading network that offers market opportunities to Australia.

Sources said Japan -- which is alert to where it stands in Australia's eyes alongside China -- would be pleased with many of the initiatives including the language plan.

One source said Japanese companies -- some of which aim to use Australian talent in expanding into Southeast Asia -- would be pleased with the emphasis on boosting the "Asia literacy" of Australia's business and public sector.

Under language education plans in the white paper, the government has pledged to make Japanese (along with Chinese, Hindi and Indonesian) accessible to all students through their primary and secondary schooling.

Addressing a frequent complaint from think tanks and business leaders, the change will "ensure that every Australian student has continuous access to high-quality Asian language curriculums, assessment and reporting in priority Asian language", the white paper says.

"As a nation we need to broaden and deepen our understanding of Asia cultures and languages to become more Asia literate."

Japan's place as one of Australia's most important partners in Asia is cemented in the paper by its inclusion as one of five nations (along with China, India, Indonesia and South Korea) to warrant a new country-specific diplomatic strategy.

According to the white paper, the strategy will be compiled with business and community input and tabled in parliament and updated regularly.

The paper also expands on the flurry of recent moves bringing Japan and Australia closer in defence terms and highlights how the scramble for dwindling resources, food and energy supplies and the changes to the established order under the emergence of China and India are changing the strategic status quo.

"Our relationship with Japan is likely to become even more important over coming decades in building sustainable security in our region," the white paper says.