VII - Australia and Japan, 1961–1965

Summary

In the preceding volume in this series Professor Macmahon Ball has described how in the period 1952 to 1960 the following factors operated to reconcile Australians to Japan: (1) with the realisation that Japan could again become a threat to Australia only if allied to her powerful Communist neighbours came the realisation that Japan must be assured of friendship, prosperity and international respect by the members of the Western camp; (2) the desire to fall in with Washington’s policies; (3) increasing dependence on Japan as a market. He also noted that, beyond the level of policy, good relations were being strengthened at the popular level as more and more Australians visited Japan as tourists and traders. He predicted that political relations between the two countries would become closer and indicated points at which, he hoped, Australia would take advantage of Japan’s special interests or capacities