Author: Shiro Armstrong

When Kevin Rudd was elected Prime Minister in November 2007, many in Japan (and Australia) worried about the prospect of Australia shifting its diplomatic focus from Japan to China.

Rudd’s fluency in Mandarin and his long-time links to China brought out the insecurity in those who thought Australia’s increasing political engagement with China would come at the expense of its relationship with Japan, as if this were a zero sum game. Many of those critics see Japan’s relationships with the United States and Australia as a counter-balance to China.

This of course got worse when Rudd did not visit Japan on his first official tour abroad as the newly minted Prime Minister, whereas China featured prominently on his itinerary. The fury was bordering on panic and the oversight was widely reported as a diplomatic snub. Was this panic justified? Right after the election, key cabinet ministers such as Trade Minister Simon Crean and Foreign Minister Stephen Smith visited Japan in January 2008. Since then Kevin Rudd has made a couple of trips, including an important and significant trip to Hiroshima.

In addition to Rudd’s trips, 9 ministers in the Rudd government have visited Japan, for a total of 13 trips.

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