- WA Government’s Tokyo Office marks its 55th anniversary
- Tokyo Office plays an important role facilitating trade and investment, supporting local jobs across WA
- Premier and Deputy Premier in Japan to boost trade and investment opportunities
Western Australia’s Tokyo Office – the oldest Australian State Government office in Japan – has celebrated 55 years of driving trade and investment opportunities for WA.
The WA Tokyo Office was established in 1968 to support the then-burgeoning iron ore trade, and has been central to the State’s ongoing successful relationship with Japan over more than five decades.
Japan was WA’s largest market for goods exports from 1963 to 2005 and has been the second largest market for goods exports since 2006, with $39.7 billion of goods traded in 2022.
Japan played a formative role in developing the WA iron ore and liquefied natural gas (LNG) industries in the 1960s and 1980s through significant investment and long-term trade commitments. Japan was WA’s first LNG customer in 1989.
While the foundation of ties between Western Australia and Japan was built on the mining and energy industries, today the relationship also includes a diverse range of industries such as agriculture, education and tourism.
Last month the State Government’s Invest and Trade WA Tokyo Office and Tourism WA Tokyo Office were both relocated to Akasaka, the home to several diplomatic missions and multinational companies.
Premier Roger Cook and Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti officially opened the new Tokyo Office as part of their trade mission to Japan.
The Tokyo Office operates as part of a network of international Invest and Trade WA offices, strategically located around the world to promote trade and facilitate investment into WA.
Comments attributed to Premier Roger Cook:
“Our trading relationship with Japan underpins tens of thousands of Western Australian jobs, and the WA Tokyo Office has played a crucial role in driving that relationship.
“As we celebrate 55 years of a WA presence in Tokyo, my Government is looking to the future, to secure the jobs and investment for the decades to come.
“I look forward to continuing the special partnership Japan and Western Australia have enjoyed over the past 55 years into the future.”
