The Ambassador of Australia to Japan is an officer of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the head of the Embassy of the

Commonwealth of Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

to Japan. The position has the rank and status of an

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

and is based in the Australian Embassy in Tokyo. Peter Roberts is currently filling in as ''Chargé d’affaires''.

Posting history

Japan and Australia have enjoyed full diplomatic relations since 1940 when the Australian Legation opened and the first Minister,

Sir John Latham Sir John Greig Latham GCMG QC (26 August 1877 – 25 July 1964) was an Australian lawyer, politician, and judge who served as the fifth Chief Justice of Australia, in office from 1935 to 1952. He had earlier served as Attorney-General of Aust ...

, presented credentials to

Emperor Showa Emperor , commonly known in English-speaking countries by his personal name , was the 124th emperor of Japan, ruling from 25 December 1926 until his death in 1989. Hirohito and his wife, Empress Kōjun, had two sons and five daughters; he was ...

in January 1941. The legation in Japan is one of Australia's earliest independent diplomatic missions outside the British Empire, closely following the legation in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

established on 1 March 1940. Latham's appointment replaced the semi-diplomatic work of the Australian Trade Commission in Tokyo, headed by trade commissioner Eric Longfield Lloyd, who was appointed in June 1935. Longfield Lloyd's work, notwithstanding his limited ability to engage with matters outside of trade, was complicated by his vague status as a ' Trade Commissioner', a title that had no formal recognition of diplomatic status. As Australia was the only nation present in Japan that was represented by someone other than an ambassador, minister or consul, it gradually became clear that a higher-ranked appointment was needed. In November 1937, in order to help clarify his position, the term 'Trade' was removed from Longfield Lloyd's title to become the Australian 'Commissioner' in Tokyo. This did not change his diplomatic status however and Latham's appointment in August 1940 was praised as solving this issue: " ongfield Lloydhas been confined almost exclusively to trade matters. In this respect he has rendered excellent service to both countries. The appointment of Sir John Latham, however, to a diplomatic post in Japan is something of far more importance." Full diplomatic relations were severed between December 1941 and 1952 on account of the declaration of war and the post-war occupation of Japan. In March 1947 a new Minister to Japan was appointed, but rather than being accredited to the Japanese Government they were accredited to the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, owing to the Occupation of Japan, and they also served as the British Commonwealth member on the

Allied Council for Japan Japan was occupied and administered by the victorious Allies of World War II from the 1945 surrender of the Empire of Japan at the end of the war until the Treaty of San Francisco took effect in 1952. The occupation, led by the United States wi ...

List of heads of mission

References

External links

Australian Embassy, Tokyo
{{Lists of heads of Australian diplomatic missions Japan Australia

Posting history

List of heads of mission

See also

References

External links