[DIPLOMACY] Shorten heads to Tokyo

Ministry for Foreign Affairs

Canberra, ACT

###PM SHORTEN PROPOSES MEETING JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER

こんにちは !

Relations between the Commonwealth of Australia and Japan go way back. From neutrality to enemies at war and now as great partners in economics, defence, ect. On one of my first official state visits outside of Australia since taking office I [Bill Shorten] have longed planned a trip to Tokyo to meet with Prime Minister Abe and the rest of his cabinet. There is much that can still be discussed between our two nations, and I know that rebuilding from the earthquake just a little less than one year is still ongoing, I still believe now is the right time to meet. I have built a heavy itinerary for my state visit to your country below.

###Environmental Damage

The potential for additional damage to the already fragile ecosystem of the Pacific Rim is far too much for my government to ignore. I would like to discuss with Mr. Abe ways to contain and prevent further damage to ocean, whether it be from nuclear waste dumping to man-made global warming causes such as CO2 rise, ect.

I also hope to meet back on this topic many times after, preferably we can startup a summit of some kind in Tokyo or somewhere in Australia with other nations such as China, Indonesia, and India in order to combat the further spread of climate change in our region of the world.

###South China Sea

While Australia has yet to post an official response to the US attack on a Chinese reef, we feel it deserves further discussion. President Trump's reckless decision making has had the potential to drag the world into all-out war and we must not let this go lightly. Richard Marles, my Minister for Defence has decided that further independence from American interests is in it for the both of us. A strong Aus-Japan defence is crucial to maintaining peace and security in the South Pacific and the South China Sea. With that being said I would support the following agreement that is to be ratified by both of our parliaments.

• Mutual defence.

• R/D between both Japan and Australia alone.

• Creation of new channels for discussion away from American personnel.

• Base-sharing for rapid deployment in the event of a confrontation between both superpowers.

These are all of course up for debate. I just thought you like to go over them with your staff before I arrive.

###Trade

With the momentous success of the Japanese-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement signed just 6 years ago, I have found that it is time to discuss further economic cooperation between our two nations. Most notably now that we have most of the physical tariffs lowered I find it time to move onto the digitised sections of the economy. A cooperation and standard regulation between Australian and Japanese banking industries will surely help produce a stable economic climate in such uncertain times. I also believe that easier access for cross-border investment will only make both of our economies stronger in the long run. (ie. making it easier for Australian companies and consumers to take part in the Tokyo Stock Exchange and vice-versa.)

###End Thoughts

I am glad to have such a visit in mind, and before I leave at the end of this coming weekend (I will return to Canberra on Sunday) I hope to address your Parliament, the Diet as well. Thank you for your time, Mr. Abe and I look forward to meeting with you.

Sincerely,

William Shorten, Prime Minister of Australia