Conclusion

The concluding remarks, delivered by Professor Llewelyn Hughes, synthesised the key themes and insights from the Japan Update 2024, highlighting the interconnectedness of economic, foreign policy, and energy transition issues discussed throughout the day.

• The conclusion emphasised the broad range of common challenges faced by both Australia and Japan, despite differences in geography and population size.
• Professor Hughes highlighted shared economic concerns, including the need to increase total factor productivity, manage competition policy within economic growth strategies, and design effective green industry policies.
• The foreign policy discussions were summarised, noting both countries’ shared regional security concerns, including potential Taiwan contingencies and the implications of AUKUS.
• Energy transition challenges were recapped, focusing on renewables integration, grid management, and the development of international supply chains for energy transition technologies.
• The conclusion stressed the importance of existing bilateral engagement between Australia and Japan, while also suggesting the potential value of additional platforms for discussion and collaboration.
• Professor Hughes noted the possibility of developing track 1.5 or track 2 dialogues to facilitate information exchange and policy discussions between the two countries.
• The importance of people-to-people connections and business networking opportunities provided by events like the Japan Update was emphasised.
• The conclusion acknowledged the efforts of the organising team and the engaged audience in making the event a success.
• Professor Hughes closed by encouraging attendees to continue the conversations and collaborations initiated during the update in the weeks and months to come.
• The final remarks looked forward to the 2025 Japan Update, indicating the ongoing commitment to fostering Australia-Japan relations through such academic and policy-focused events.