The Japan–Australia Economic Partnership Agreement was concluded between Australia and Japan in November 2014 and took effect January 15, 2015.

Background

Australia's negotiations for an agreement with Japan began under the Howard Government in 2007.Australia strikes free trade deal with Japan, beef and horticultural industries secure major concessions
ABC; 8 April 2014 In April 2014, Australia's Prime Minister

Tony Abbott Anthony John Abbott (; born 4 November 1957) is a former Australian politician who served as the 28th prime minister of Australia from 2013 to 2015. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Abbott was born in Londo ...

led a trade delegation to Japan,

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

and China. The three economies accounted for more than half of all of Australia's two-way trade. On the Japanese leg, Abbott was received by

Emperor Akihito is a member of the Imperial House of Japan who reigned as the 125th emperor of Japan from 7 January 1989 until his abdication on 30 April 2019. He presided over the Heisei era, ''Heisei'' being an expression of achieving peace worldwide. Bo ...

and, secured the key elements of a free trade agreement with the government of

Shinzo Abe Shinzo Abe ( ; ja, 安倍晋三, Hepburn: , ; 21 September 1954 – 8 July 2022) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 20 ...

. A number of concessions were secured for Australian agricultural exporters, while Australian tariffs on electronics, whitegoods and cars were to be lowered. Negotiations for the agreement began under the Howard Government in 2007. Abbott said, "This is the first time that Japan has negotiated a comprehensive economic partnership agreement or free trade agreement with a major economy, particularly a major economy with a strong agricultural sector." Prime Minister Abe traveled to Australia in July to sign the Japan–Australia Economic Partnership Agreement, and address the Australian Parliament. Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs said: "The agreement will provide valuable preferential access for Australia's exports and is by far the most liberalising trade agreement Japan has ever concluded. Australia and Japan are natural partners with highly complementary economies. The agreement will bring our economies and societies even closer and underpin a strong relationship for many years to come." While the prior tariff on new car imports from Japan was eliminated, the agreement included a flat $12000 fee on imports of used vehicles from Japan.

After

With the commencement of the Japan free trade agreement in 2015, employers no longer need to offer jobs to locals or to prove that none could fill vacancies before Japanese nationals eligible for 457 visas are employed.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Australia-Korea Free Trade Agreement Australia–Japan relations Free trade agreements of Japan Free trade agreements of Australia Howard Government Abbott Government Treaties concluded in 2014 Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement 2014 in Japan