Key facts
- Japan is seeking to attract financial services firms and investments from Australia.
- Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama highlighted Australia's role as a source of energy and minerals.
- Over 50 overseas financial institutions have entered Japan in the last five years due to reforms.
- The Nikkei Asia Forum in Sydney focused on Australia-Japan relations amid geopolitical shifts.
Japan is actively seeking to draw financial services firms and investments from Australia, according to Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama. Speaking at the Nikkei Asia Forum in Sydney, Katayama stressed the significance of Australia-Japan relations as a "stabilizing power" in a region marked by increasing geopolitical tensions and fragmentation. She pointed to Australia's "indispensable" contribution as a supplier of energy and minerals. Katayama highlighted that Japan's ongoing reforms aimed at facilitating overseas firms have successfully attracted more than 50 international financial institutions, including those from Australia, over the past five years. She emphasized that as economic cooperation deepens, the role of finance in supporting investment and capital flows becomes increasingly crucial. The minister expressed hope that these efforts would bolster economic and financial ties between the two nations, contributing to shared prosperity. The forum itself, the fourth of its kind in Australia, centered on the future of Australia-Japan relations in a rapidly changing global landscape, influenced by factors such as the presidency of U.S. President Donald Trump and China's economic ascent.