page_title: Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation
section_title: Phase II
hierarchical_section_title: Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation / Genesis / Phase II
caption_attribution_description: English: Gough Whitlam at the launch of the Australian Conservation Foundation's newsletter in 1973.
context_page_description: The Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation was a treaty signed between Australia and Japan that established a broad framework of principles to guide and enhance future bilateral relations in the political, economic, cultural and other fields. The treaty is historically significant because it is the first comprehensive treaty of its kind for both countries alike, containing both symbolic and practical provisions which acknowledged indispensable economic ties. The treaty was signed on 16 June 1976 by Prime Minister Malcom Fraser and Prime Minister Takeo Miki, and entered into force 21 August 1977.
  For Japan, the treaty was an essential step for their modern economic development as an emerging power amongst established industrial nations. On the Australian side, the vision was to refashion a politically ambivalent relationship and promote the natural commercial partnership between the countries.
  Both sides started from vastly different premises on the nature of the treaty to be negotiated. While Japan insisted on an encompassing Friendship, Commerce and Navigation type treaty, Australia preferred bilateral agreements on very specific matters of mutual interest.
context_section_description: The advent of the Whitlam government in December 1972 brought the agenda of forging a revitalised diplomacy in the Asia-Pacific and getting rid of the remnants of a White Australia past. The new Prime Minister Gough Whitlam was very impressed by Sir John’s arguments and instructed the IDCJ for a reappraisal of their earlier report. The reviews prepared by the IDCJ in May 1973 echoed earlier negative conclusions for the undesirability of a traditional FCN treaty. The committee, however, cognizant of the Whitlam agenda to bring Australia-Japan relations towards a closer basis, put forth the possibility of a ‘symbolic’ or ‘limited’ treaty that could be called a treaty of friendship and cooperation. In light of the committee’s responses, a small team of officers from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) were assembled to produce a draft treaty and accompanying report which was completed mid-July.  On the basis of this draft and report, Whitlam notified the Japanese at the ministerial consultations held in Tokyo, October 1973 of the Australian Government’s willingness to negotiate a treaty. In the joint communique issued at the end of the ministerial committee meetings, Whitlam and the Japanese Prime Minister, Masayoshi Ohira agreed that the two Governments would begin discussions on a broad bilateral treaty.
caption: Prime Minister Gough Whitlam in 1973
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