Northern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner has welcomed the pending visit by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who will visit Darwin this Friday, 16 November.
The Chief Minister said this will be a historic day for the Territory, with not one but two Prime Ministers visiting the capital of Northern Australia, Darwin.
Prime Minister Abe will attend a reception given by the Chief Minister to celebrate the relationship between the Northern Territory and Japan, and mark the official commencement of the $34 billion Ichthys LNG operations.
The visit, to be hosted by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Mr Gunner, will acknowledge the Australian and Japanese soldiers and civilians killed during World War II, with a public wreath laying at the Darwin Cenotaph.
This is the first visit to Darwin by a Japanese leader.
As noted by Chief Minister Michael Gunner
This is an incredibly important visit from one of our most significant regional neighbours. It highlights the importance of Australias relationship with Japan, and the strategic importance of the Territory.
At this time as we debate how nations work together the relationship between Darwin and Japan is a global example of successful modern foreign policy forging strong bonds through friendship and trade.
Darwin is home to one of Japans single biggest investments outside of Japan, INPEX, and there are at least 40 years of identified future investment in the Territory through that project.
Through our engagement with the Japanese to date, we have also identified job-creating opportunities in agribusiness, resources, telecommunications and data.
The Territory is uniquely positioned to take advantage of growth in the Asian region, and we welcome this historic visit by Mr Abe.
