ABSTRACT
Japan has loomed large in post-war Australian foreign and economic policies. At the regional level the relationship with Japan has become since the 1960s Australia’s longest, arguably most important and trouble-free bilateral relationship. The rapid improvement in bilateral relations by 1965, especially given the level of general hostility and suspicion towards Japan in Australia that had existed immediately after the Pacific War, represented a remarkable shift in policy thinking in Canberra. Yet surprisingly little has been written about the political dimension of the relationship and the level of dialogue between Australia and Japan from 1952 to 1965 on regional matters. Developments in Indonesia and Indonesian foreign policies, in particular, were (and still remain) of immense strategic importance to both countries. These ad hoc meetings represented the beginnings of a new post-war relationship that has involved close cooperation and regular consultations on regional matters.
