2006 Australia - Japan Year of Exchange

Mon 29 May 2006

The 2006 Australia-Japan Year of Exchange (YOE), commemorating the 30th anniversary of the signing of the 1976 Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between Australia and Japan, is under way.

The initiative aims to broaden and strengthen Australia - Japan relations by providing a year-long focus on bilateral exchange activities.

Student Exchange Australia invited former Australian ambassador to Japan, Rawdon Dalrymple AO, to write about the importance of Japan as a exchange destination for young Australians. Here is what he had to say:

"Japan has played a very large part in Australia's history. In the first half of the twentieth century it was both a friend and a foe. Then, after the end of the Pacific War, and with Japan's remarkable economic recovery, it gradually became Australia's most important trading partner.

In 2006 Japan is still by far Australia's biggest export market, taking more than twice as much in value of our products as each of the next two - the US and China.

Because of its phenomenal economic growth and huge size China has taken much of the popular spotlight from Japan which for ten years has had a very subdued economy. There is a tendency to think that our future lies more with China than with Japan. China is indeed likely to become a superpower in time. But Japan is still the world's second biggest economy, much bigger than China and it plays a major role in other respects such as the huge development assistance it provides for poor countries in Asia, Africa and elsewhere.

Japan's modern relations with Australia were built on trade, but they expanded far beyond that. Australia became a major destination for Japanese tourists. Japan and Australia became partners in a range of cooperative regional activities in the economic and political areas. Japanese and Australian universities developed close relations and there was a growing interchange of scholars between the two countries.

Many young Australians have spent time in Japan. Some have gone as students to Japanese universities, some have gone on exchange programs, and quite a number have gone as assistant teachers of English under a Japanese government program.

The circumstances have never been more favourable for young Australians to visit Japan than they are now. There has been a major change in Japan in recent years. When I first knew Japan, and indeed up to relatively recently, ordinary Japanese were rather wary of foreigners. They found it embarrassing to be addressed in a language they could not understand and even foreigners who could speak some Japanese often found it hard to make contact. That has changed. It is now much easier for a foreigner to get around in Japan. People are much more open to foreigners and indeed will often go to great lengths to help with directions. Those who have learned some English will often welcome the chance to practice with a native speaker.

There are some other things which are not so well known in Australia. Japan is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. It is not just a country of big, crowded cities (though it certainly is that), or a country of rice fields and sea. It is also a country of wonderful forests, mountains, lakes and beautiful coastlines. It has beautiful and historic places which are monuments to Japan's fascinating history and the wonderfully refined taste of its architects, artisans and artists. And all of this is easily accessible by the best public transport system in the world. In a couple of hours from Tokyo you could be hiking in quite remote country.

For some, though, the excitement and variety of Tokyo and other major cities will provide an unforgettable experience.

Moreover Japan is safe, orderly and clean. And those attributes are not all that common in the modern world."

Rawdon Dalrymple
Rawdon Dalrymple was born in Sydney and went to school and university there. He was Rhodes Scholar for NSW in 1952 and graduated from Oxford with first class honours in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. He lectured in philosophy at Sydney University and then joined the Department of External Affairs in 1957.

He joined the Asian Development Bank in Manila in 1967 as Alternate Director, was then minister in the Australian embassy in Jakarta from 1969 to 1972, and ambassador to Israel from 1972 to 1975. In 1981 Mr Dalrymple was appointed ambassador to Indonesia, in 1985 ambassador to the United States and in 1989 ambassador to Japan. He was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1985. After retiring from Foreign Affairs and Trade in 1994 Rawdon Dalrymple had a number of business and government appointments. From 1966 until 2002 he taught courses in international relations as a visiting professor in Government and International Relations at the University of Sydney. He has published articles in journals in Australia, the United States, France and Canada and writes a monthly column in a leading Japanese newspaper. His book Continental Drift: Australia's Search for a Regional Identity was published by Ashgate in March 2003.

Rawdon Dalrymple has been a friend and supporter of Student Exchange Australia for many years. In recognition of this support and in acknowledgement of his distinguished diplomatic career our International Affairs Scholarships are named after him. See http://www.studentexchange.org.au/scholarships/ for details.