Japanese PM Shinzo Abe will lay a wreath at the cenotaph in Darwin and hold talks with Prime Minister Scott Morrison on a historic visit to Australia.
Japan’s Prime Minister Abe Shinzo is paying a historic visit to Darwin in a sign of its warm relations with Australia.
Mr Abe, the first leader to visit the city which was bombed by the Japanese army during World War II killing hundreds will lay a wreath at the city’s cenotaph with Australian PM Scott Morrison and inspect a memorial of the 80-crew Japanese submarine I-124, which was sunk off Darwin in January 1942 and remains there.
The visit would also “recognise the importance of the reconciliation that followed between our countries”, Mr Morrison said.
“Prime Minister Abe’s visit is deeply symbolic and significant and it will build on our two countries’ strong and enduring friendship as well as our economic, security, community and historical ties,” he said.
Darwin is a key part of Japan’s energy security through the recently completed $US40 billion ($A55 billion) LNG project operated by Japan’s Inpex.
The Ichthys LNG venture is the biggest foreign investment made by Japan as it has moved away from nuclear power since the Fukushima disaster.
The first gas shipment left Darwin for Japan last month.
Inpex president Takayuki Ueda, who on Thursday announced a $24 million package over 40 years including benefits for indigenous education and the elderly, said the support of locals including the Larrakia people made Darwin a friendly location to ship gas in a stable, democratic country.
