# List of ambassadors of Australia to Japan

The ambassador of Australia to Japan is an officer of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the head of the Embassy of the Commonwealth of Australia to Japan. The position has the rank and status of an ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary and is based in the Australian Embassy in Tokyo. Peter Roberts OAM is currently filling in as chargé d’affaires.

## Posting history

Japan and Australia have enjoyed full diplomatic relations since 1940 when the Australian Legation opened and the first Minister, Sir John Latham, presented credentials to Emperor Showa in January 1941. The legation in Japan is one of Australia's earliest independent diplomatic missions outside the British Empire, closely following the legation in the United States established on 1 March 1940. Latham's appointment replaced the semi-diplomatic work of the Australian Trade Commission in Tokyo, headed by trade commissioner Eric Longfield Lloyd, who was appointed in June 1935.
Longfield Lloyd's work, notwithstanding his limited ability to engage with matters outside of trade, was complicated by his vague status as a 'Trade Commissioner', a title that had no formal recognition of diplomatic status. As Australia was the only nation present in Japan that was represented by someone other than an ambassador, minister or consul, it gradually became clear that a higher-ranked appointment was needed. In November 1937, in order to help clarify his position, the term 'Trade' was removed from Longfield Lloyd's title to become the Australian 'Commissioner' in Tokyo. This did not change his diplomatic status however and Latham's appointment in August 1940 was praised as solving this issue: "[Longfield Lloyd] has been confined almost exclusively to trade matters. In this respect he has rendered excellent service to both countries. The appointment of Sir John Latham, however, to a diplomatic post in Japan is something of far more importance."
Full diplomatic relations were severed between December 1941 and 1952 on account of the declaration of war and the post-war occupation of Japan. In March 1947 a new Minister to Japan was appointed, but rather than being accredited to the Japanese Government they were accredited to the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, owing to the Occupation of Japan, and they also served as the British Commonwealth member on the Allied Council for Japan.

## List of heads of mission

| Ordinal | Officeholder | Title | Term start date | Term end date | Time in office |
| (n/a) | Eric Longfield Lloyd MC | Commissioner | 7 June 1935 (1935-06-07) | 17 August 1940 (1940-08-17) | 5 years, 71 days |
| 1 | Sir John Latham GCMG, QC | Australian Minister to Japan | 17 August 1940 (1940-08-17) | 8 December 1941 (1941-12-08) | 1 year, 113 days |
| Relations suspended |||||||
| 2 | William Macmahon Ball | Australian Minister to Japan | 30 March 1947 (1947-03-30) | August 1947 (1947-08) | 4 months |
| 3 | Patrick Shaw | Australian Minister to Japan | August 1947 (1947-08) | September 1949 (1949-09) | 2 years, 1 month |
| 4 | Lieutenant Colonel William Roy Hodgson CMG, OBE | Australian Minister to Japan | September 1949 (1949-09) | 18 April 1952 (1952-04-18) | 2 years, 230 days |
| 5 | Edward Ronald Walker | Ambassador of Australia to Japan | 18 April 1952 (1952-04-18) | 1955 (1955) | 2–3 years |
| 6 | Sir Alan Watt CBE | Ambassador of Australia to Japan | 1956 (1956) | 1960 (1960) | 3–4 years |
| 7 | Sir Laurence McIntyre CBE | Ambassador of Australia to Japan | 1960 (1960) | 1965 (1965) | 4–5 years |
| 8 | Sir Allen Brown CBE | Ambassador of Australia to Japan | 1965 (1965) | 1970 (1970) | 4–5 years |
| 9 | Gordon Freeth | Ambassador of Australia to Japan | 1970 (1970) | 1973 (1973) | 2–3 years |
| 10 | Mick Shann CBE | Ambassador of Australia to Japan | 1973 (1973) | 1977 (1977) | 3–4 years |
| 11 | John Menadue | Ambassador of Australia to Japan | 1977 (1977) | 1980 (1980) | 2–3 years |
| 12 | Sir James Plimsoll AC, CBE | Ambassador of Australia to Japan | 1981 (1981) | 1982 (1982) | 0–1 years |
| 13 | Sir Neil Currie CBE | Ambassador of Australia to Japan | 1982 (1982) | 1986 (1986) | 3–4 years |
| 14 | Geoff Miller | Ambassador of Australia to Japan | 1986 (1986) | 1989 (1989) | 2–3 years |
| 15 | Rawdon Dalrymple AO | Ambassador of Australia to Japan | 1989 (1989) | 1993 (1993) | 3–4 years |
| 16 | Ashton Calvert | Ambassador of Australia to Japan | 1993 (1993) | 1998 (1998) | 4–5 years |
| 17 | Peter Grey | Ambassador of Australia to Japan | 1998 (1998) | 2001 (2001) | 2–3 years |
| 18 | John McCarthy AO | Ambassador of Australia to Japan | 2001 (2001) | 2004 (2004) | 2–3 years |
| 19 | Murray McLean OAM | Ambassador of Australia to Japan | 2004 (2004) | 2011 (2011) | 6–7 years |
| 20 | Bruce Miller AO | Ambassador of Australia to Japan | August 2011 (2011-08) | January 2017 (2017-01) | 5 years, 5 months |
| 21 | Richard Court AC | Ambassador of Australia to Japan | April 2017 (2017-04) | 2020 (2020) | 2–3 years |
| 22 | Jan Adams AO, PSM | Ambassador of Australia to Japan | October 2020 (2020-10) | July 2022 (2022-07) | 1 year, 9 months |
| 23 | Justin Hayhurst | Ambassador of Australia to Japan | April 2023 (2023-04) | Incumbent | 1 year, 308 days |