Japan, Australia to promote disaster relief, energy cooperation

TOKYO, April 21 Kyodo -
Japan and Australia agreed Thursday to boost bilateral cooperation in the areas of disaster preparedness and response as well as energy in the aftermath of the devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami that struck eastern and northeastern Japan.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan and his Australian counterpart Julia Gillard also agreed to work toward strengthening international safety standards for nuclear power generation following the disaster-induced crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi atomic power station and to seek to conclude a bilateral free trade agreement.
Kan and Gillard, the first foreign leader to make an official working visit to the quake-hit nation, said in a joint statement that they confirmed it was ''timely to further develop bilateral cooperation and to strengthen coordination in the civil and military areas on disaster preparedness and response.''
At a joint press conference, Kan said he agreed with Gillard that Australia's post-quake assistance through the dispatch of its military transport planes to Japan could be ''a major step forward'' in strengthening bilateral security cooperation, adding, only the United States, Japan's security ally, and Australia offered military assistance to the disaster-ravaged nation.
Gillard pledged at the news conference that Australia ''will do anything it can to assist (Japan) during this very difficult period.''
She welcomed an agreement with Kan for the two countries' foreign and defense ministers to discuss future collaboration in disaster and emergency management during the next ''two-plus-two'' meeting involving the ministers slated for later this year.
The two leaders said in the joint statement that Tokyo and Canberra will continue to promote disaster relief cooperation in frameworks involving Japan, Australia and the United States as well as regional forums centered on the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, such as the ASEAN Regional Forum and the East Asia Summit.
In the face of energy shortages in Japan due chiefly to the ongoing Fukushima nuclear crisis, Kan said he hopes Australia will continue to stably supply liquefied natural gas, and other energy and mineral resources to Japan.
Gillard said Australia would continue stable supply through commercial market mechanisms and welcomed further investment by Japanese firms in LNG development projects in her country.
The two leaders said they also agreed to promote cooperation on the development of clean energy and rare earth minerals.
On the Fukushima crisis, which is now rated as the world's worst nuclear disaster together with the 1986 Chernobyl catastrophe, Kan said Tokyo will continue to provide information to the international community ''with maximum transparency'' and share the experience gained from the accident with other countries as well as the International Atomic Energy Agency.
''The situation does not warrant optimism yet, but the government will make all-out efforts to contain the crisis in line with a road map unveiled by Tokyo Electric Power Co.,'' which operates the Fukushima plant, Kan said.
The utility known as TEPCO has said it is aiming to stabilize the damaged reactors in around six to nine months.
Gillard said Australia ''very much welcomes'' Kan's commitment to the sharing of information and ''stands ready to work with Japan through the IAEA to deal with this nuclear problem and also of course to review nuclear safety for the future.''
Kan and Gillard also agreed that the two countries will hold further talks aimed at signing a ''comprehensive and mutually beneficial'' FTA.
Gillard showed understanding regarding Tokyo's need to concentrate on its response to the disaster and expected the FTA talks to resume soon. Japan and Australia have been engaged in FTA negotiations since 2007 and the next round of talks originally scheduled for April has been postponed due to the quake and tsunami.
The negotiations have hit a snag, with Tokyo remaining reluctant to make significant concessions on Canberra's demand for the elimination of tariffs on politically sensitive farm products.
As for security and defense cooperation, Kan and Gillard urged the foreign and defense ministers of the two countries to take forward a vision for boosting the bilateral partnership in the run-up to the next two-plus-two meeting.
The leaders also said they expect that a bilateral defense logistics accord will take effect and that the two countries will conclude talks on a pact to ensure the security of military information exchanges by the time of the next four-way meeting.
The logistics accord, formally known as the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement, will enable Japan's Self-Defense Forces and the Australian military to share food, fuel and other supplies during operations.
Following the earthquake and tsunami, Australia dispatched a 75-member search and rescue team to the town of Minamisanriku in Miyagi Prefecture, one of the worst affected areas, and offered airlift services by three military transport planes, as well as special pumps to cool the reactors at the radiation-leaking Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Canberra also provided 10 million Australian dollars (about 800 million yen) in donations to Tokyo.
On the issue of whaling, Kan admitted that the two countries' positions differ but expressed hope that it would not adversely affect bilateral relations, which have been on a good footing except for this issue.
Earlier in the day, Gillard, who is on a four-day trip to Japan through Saturday, and her partner Tim Mathieson had an audience with Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko at the Imperial Palace. The emperor thanked Gillard for ''various support'' offered by her country to Japan, according to the Imperial Household Agency.
She also met with Japanese business leaders at a luncheon meeting and stressed the importance of a bilateral FTA.
During her stay in Japan, Gillard is scheduled to deliver a policy speech on Friday and tour the town of Minamisanriku on Saturday, as the first foreign leader to visit areas stricken by the disaster.