Japan Update 2026

The Australia-Japan Research Centre and the ANU Japan Institute are pleased to present Japan Update 2026, taking place both online and in person.

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between Australia and Japan, this year's event will bring together leading academics, policymakers and experts from Australia and Japan to explore the key issues shaping Japan today. Through a series of presentations and discussions, speakers will provide insights into Japan's economy, domestic politics and foreign policy, while reflecting on the evolution of Japan studies in Australia.

The program will also examine the enduring partnership between Australia and Japan, highlighting the achievements of the past five decades and considering the opportunities and challenges that will shape the bilateral relationship into the future. 

PROGRAM

(All times are in Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST, UTC+10)

Registration & tea and coffee (8.30-9am)

Welcome (9am)

• Shiro Armstrong, Director, Australia-Japan Research Centre, The Australian National University

Introduction

• Rebekah Brown, Interim Vice Chancellor of The Australian National University

Opening Keynote

• Tim Ayres, Minister for Industry and Innovation and Minister for Sicence

Vote of Thanks

• HE Kazuhiro Suzuki, Japanese Ambassador to Australia

The New Normal in Japan's Economy (9.45-10.45am)

• Keynote: Koji Nakamura, Bank of Japan
• Chair: Ippei Fujiwara, University of Tokyo and Keio University
• Katrina Di Marco, Deputy Secretary, Treasury

Morning Tea (10.45-11.15am)

Foreign Policy and Political Choices (11.15-12.45am)

• Chair: Lauren Richardson, The Australian National University
• Yves Tiberghien, University of British Columbia and Taipei School of Economics and Political Science
• Naoko Eto, Aoyama Gauin University
• Evenlyn Goh, The Australian National University

Lunch (12.45-1.45pm)

The State of Japanese Studies in Australia (1.45-3pm)

• Keynote: Sawako Shirahase, University of Tokyo
• Chair: Simon Avenell, The Australian National University
• Nana Oishi, The University of Melbourne
• Kent Anderson, The Australian National University
• Carolyn Stevens, Monash University

Afternoon tea (3-3.30pm)

The Next 50 Years of the Australia–Japan Relationship (3.30-4.45pm)

• Keynote: Peter Drysdale, The Australian National University
• Chair: Geraldine Doogue, Australian Broadcasting Corporation
• Kate Kitagawa, LaTrobe University
• Shiro Armstrong, The Australian National University
• Melissa Conley Tyler, The University of Melbourne

Closing and thank you (4.45-5pm)

• Ippei Fujiwara, University of Tokyo and Keio University
• Simon Avenell, Director, Japan Institute, The Australian National University