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Guest editor's introduction

It is my great pleasure to edit this special issue to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of the signing of the Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation (often referred to as the NARA Treaty). The treaty, which was signed on 16 June 1976, formalised a partnership that had been evolving since the Agreement on Commerce was signed in 1957. In essence the treaty established the structure for reciprocal cooperation in the political arena, as well as providing arrangements for visas, trade and commerce. It became the basis for expansion in a number of areas including investment and education exchanges. Notably the treaty explicitly stated the standards of treatment for entry, stay and business activities of Japanese nationals. It is the most wide-ranging treaty Australia has signed with any Asian nation. As such, the anniversary is an ideal opportunity to critically evaluate the state of the bilateral relationship. Drafts of papers in the special issue were presented at a workshop jointly hosted by the Australia /Japan Research Centre (AJRC), at the Crawford School of Economics and Government, the Australian National University, and the Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA), in Canberra on 31 July this year. There were approximately 40 people with a deep understanding and passion about the bilateral relationship at the workshop including current and former senior Australian government officials, some who were directly involved in the treaty negotiations, representatives of the Japanese Embassy and leading academics. I would like to thank a number of people and organisations. In particular I wish to thank the regular editor, Bill Tow, for giving me this opportunity and for his enthusiastic support and patience despite my many questions. MaryLouise Hickey (managing editor of AJIA) was also a pleasure to work with. I wish to thank Peter Drysdale, Jenny Corbett, Andrew McIntyre and Trevor Wilson at the AJRC for their generosity and strong support for this project. Trevor was the organiser of the workshop and deserves special mention for his outstanding efforts. As well, I wish to thank Moreen Dee, Jenny Corbett, John Ravenhill, Rikki Kersten, Stuart Harris, Max Suich and Alison Broinowski for their role as commentators and moderators at the workshop. Deborah Peterson (Japan Section, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) and Kojiro Uchiyama (Japanese Embassy) were extremely helpful and I am very grateful for their support. In terms of organisations, as well as the AJRC and AIIA, I wish to thank the Japanese Embassy, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Australian Research Council (Asia Pacific Network Japan Korea Node) for offering financial assistance towards the workshop. Finally I wish to thank the anonymous AJIA referees for their hard work, dedication and willingness to respond at very short notice. Australian Journal of International Affairs Vol. 60, No. 4, pp. 484 486, December 2006