The Australian Institute of International Affairs Victoria is pleased to announce that this year’s study tour will be to Japan and we are currently calling for expressions of interest.

9TH SEPTEMBER 2015 TO

TUESDAY 22ND SEPTEMBER 2015

The tour will move from the pulsating metropolis of Tokyo, through the historic treasures of Kyoto, commercial Osaka and the solemn spaces of Hiroshima 70 years on.

For the first time in decades Japan is stirring, energised by Abe and spurred by regional competition. Questions of identity, of economics, of environment and the future are discussed across a country that weaves its rich cultural history with an enthusiastic thread of ultra-modernity. Changes to the interpretation of the pacifist constitution, complicated relations with China, painful concessions in agricultural trade and industrial reform – these are some of the issues facing Japan in 2015 as it seeks to regain the verve it held in the 70s, 80s and early 90s.

Australia’s bilateral relationship with Japan is growing in importance across political, defence, trade and cultural ties – exemplified by Prime Minister Abe’s historic address to the Australian Parliament and signing of the first Free Trade Agreement between Japan and a major economy: the Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement.

Against this backdrop, join our experienced tour leader Robert Day, an architect who has lived in Japan, as he leads a program designed to engage participants in a comprehensive exploration of historic and modern Japan through the duel prisms of politics and architecture. The visit program will include meetings with political representatives, captains of industry, diplomatic and trade officials from Japan and Australia, the education sector, not-for-profit organisations, and more. The visit program will also cover historic and cultural attractions such as the temples and shrines of Kyoto, Imperial Tokyo, the Peace Park and Miyajima Island in Hiroshima, along with gardens and galleries to give participants a rounded perspective on the country.

The tour is limited to 20 participants, who must be members of one of the branches of the Australian Institute of International Affairs (membership applications can be completed online from the AIIAV website).

To express your interest on securing a place on the tour, please email admin.vic@internationalaffairs.org.au

For visa purposes, your passport must have at least six month’s validity

For any enquiries, please contact Peta McDermott on (03) 9654 7271.