Australia, Japan and Southeast Asia: Early Post-war Initiatives in Regional Diplomacy

Japan has loomed large in post-war Australian foreign and economic policies. At the regional level, the relationship with Japan has become since the 1960s Australia's longest, arguably most important and trouble-free bilateral relationship. The rapid improvement in bilateral relations by 1965, especially given the level of general hostility and suspicion towards Japan in Australia that had existed immediately after the Pacific War, represented a remarkable shift in policy thinking in Canberra. Yet surprisingly little has been written about the political dimension of the relationship and in particular, the level of dialogue between Australia and Japan from 1952 to 1965 on regional matters. This book examines the relationship between Australia, Japan and Southeast Asia in relation to early post-war initiatives in regional diplomacy.