It is difficult to overestimate the progress in the Japan-Australia relationship.
Working from a bedrock of shared values and interests, the two countries have forged a partnership that paces the region. It not only advances their national interests, but that of the wider region, and it also provides an example of what two so-called middle powers can do in a world increasingly defined by great power competition.
Yet, for all the accomplishments — and there are many — low-hanging fruit could push the partnership further.