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 Lond ...

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 Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

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. Bor ...

and, secured the key elements of a free trade agreemen