Grant Award View - GA203273

This project is named after a jargon of international relations studies, i.e., “levels of analysis.” The term is normally used by scholars to look for reasons of tension in foreign relations (levels of individuals, state structures, and the international system). Currently, Australia has had various tensions with China, and, because of this, is looking for cultivation of more matured ties with Japan at all three levels. This project will examine the maturity of the Australia-Japan relations, such as various commercial ties during Japan’s economic rise in the 1960’s-1980’s, the Joint Declaration on Security Co-operation in 2007 as well as both countries’ recent engagement in the QUAD. Two public workshops will be held: one in Sydney hosted by Western Sydney University; and one in Tokyo co-hosted by Meiji University and Global Forum for Japan. At the workshops 5 participants from Australia and Japan will be reflecting the gradual progress of Australia-Japan bilateral relations. Despite the importance of the bilateral quasi-alliance, few solid book-length project focusing on the gradual progress of the bilateral maturity can be found. Along with the workshops, this project seeks to conduct a joint work of textbook writing for future generations responsible for the bilateral relations.