Takeo Miki
Moreover, the new change in government in November, saw the new Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser give high priority to the rapid conclusion of the treaty. A congratulatory call by Japanese Prime Minister Miki, prompted Fraser to instruct the departments "to get over their bureaucratic quibbling and ‘legalistic nit-picking’" in order to maintain the momentum of negotiations. Two more rounds of negotiations, one in April, 1976 and the other in May, were held to settle outstanding issues of phrasing and interpretation. On 16 June 1976, Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser and Prime Minister Takeo Miki signed the Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between Australia and Japan, after two and a half years of negotiations.