Creating a Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain

In 1952 - less than 10 years after the Japanese military had attacked the Australian mainland in the final years of WWII - Prime Minister Robert Menzies opened the Australian Embassy in Tokyo. Five years later, in 1957, the two countries signed the Japan-Australia Commerce Agreement, which has been the foundation for their bilateral relationship ever since. As the world enters a new energy future, this relationship and its importance for Indo-Pacific geopolitics, is once again in the spotlight.

DR DAISUKE AKIMOTO

In April 1957, Menzies became the first Australian PM to visit Japan and both he and Japanese Prime Minister, Nobusuke Kishi, made a pragmatic decision that would result in the Commerce Agreement being signed later that year. As the Northern and Southern anchors in the so-called ‘hub-and-spokes’ system based on the mutual military alliances with the United States, both countries saw the opportunity to invigorate their economic and energy security networks during the Cold War era. As such, resource diplomacy and trade partnership have for decades been a fundamental element of the relationship. Background of Japan-Australia Energy Cooperation The 1957 Commerce Agreement opened the door to huge opportunities for both countries. In the 1960s, Japanese trading companies and steel makers partnered with Australian miners of iron ore and coal, and…

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AQ: Australian Quarterly (Digital) - 1 Issue, 94.3 July-Sept 2023

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