The dawn of the 21st century has revealed a world where a large part of the population no longer lives where they once belonged. Ethnic conflict, revolutions, economic catastrophes as well as new economic opportunities have driven millions of people away from their homelands. Our concepts of citizenship have been turned on their heads. It is time to revise our ideas and propose new systems for identifying nationality and bestowing citizenship. Mutual appreciation of the deeper levels of our cultures is the current challenge for those of us working in these areas.
Indications are that the future is very promising.
Given this regional situation, opportunities exist for further standardization between Australia and Japan, leading to an enhanced ability to provide financial services to the new economy. This is similar to the experience of Japan, which sought an appropriate relationship with Asia during the process of its modernization. It is expected that the utilization of such shared national experience will further deepen both future dialogues and the cooperations between the two nations. While further deepening economic relations with Asia, Australia is attempting to make its industrial products and service trade into key pillars of its export, exceeding to depend on only its traditional resource trade. In the twenty-first century, economic relations between Japan and Australia will need to be extended into new fields, such as cooperation in the IT industry and investment exchanges between the two countries.