DPC travel outcomes report: Ben Carroll's 2025 travel to Japan

Purpose of travel

From 28 September to 4 October 2025, I undertook official travel to Japan, visiting three cities: Osaka, Nagoya, and Tokyo.

I travelled to represent the Victorian Government at World Expo 2025 in Osaka to promote Victorian capabilities across sectors including health technologies and medical research, advanced manufacturing and defence, digital technologies, and agribusiness.

I also travelled to commemorate the 45^th anniversary of Victoria's sister-state relationship with Aichi Prefecture, an important partnership that serves as a foundation for Victoria's economic, cultural, education, and people-to-people links with Japan.

Benefits of travel to the State of Victoria

The trip was my first official visit to Japan as Deputy Premier.

My travel provided the opportunity to advance core government priorities, including promoting Victorian businesses in a priority international market, encouraging Japanese firms to invest in Victorian industry, strengthening government-to-government connections with long-standing partners in Aichi, and exploring opportunities to deepen education links with Japanese schools.

In Osaka, I attended World Expo 2025, one of the world's largest international events, which brought together more than 160 international delegations to showcase innovation and emerging capabilities, promote cooperation, and discuss solutions to shared global challenges. My activities at Expo included:

• promoting Victoria's capabilities in health technologies and medical research at a boardroom event with senior Japanese stakeholders from world-leading medical technology incubators, health innovation and pharmaceutical firms, and medical research institutes.
• delivering a keynote address featuring key Japanese stakeholders from priority sectors including food and agribusiness, advanced manufacturing, health technologies and medical research, digital technologies, and clean energy. This provided the opportunity to highlight the long history of economic collaboration between Victoria and Japan, and promote the Victorian Government's work through the Economic Growth Statement to make Victoria an attractive place for international businesses to invest.
• visiting the France and Singapore pavilions at Expo to signal Victoria's commitment to engagement with these priority partners, including under the whole-of-government Letter of Intent with the French Government, a formal partnership which establishes a framework for bilateral cooperation.

While in Osaka, I strengthened Victoria's education links with Japan by meeting with the Superintendent of the Osaka Prefectural Board of Education to discuss opportunities to enhance two-way exchange programs for Japanese and Victorian students and teachers. I visited Owa High School to witness first-hand the English language and cultural understanding outcomes being delivered through the school's sister partnerships with Victorian schools, Mount Waverley Secondary College and Parkdale Secondary College.

I toured the facilities at Nakanoshima Qross, a medical research precinct bringing together medical institutions, companies, and startups to support the development of future medicine. During this engagement, I discussed opportunities to establish strategic partnerships with Victoria entities with a focus on drug discovery.

In Nagoya, I met with the Governor of Aichi Prefecture, His Excellency Mr Hideaki Ohmura, and the Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the Aichi Prefectural Assembly as we marked the 45th anniversary of Victoria's sister-state relationship with Aichi, which has provided a foundation for deep ties across the breadth of government, business, education, and culture since 1980. I also met with the Vice-Governor of Aichi, Mr Shinichiro Furumoto, ahead of his visit to Victoria later in October 2025, which provided a further opportunity to reaffirm the Victorian Government's ongoing commitment to collaboration and friendship with Aichi.

I also strengthened Victoria's industry and investment links with Aichi, including through engagements with:

• STATION Ai, one of the world's largest innovation hubs which supports local and international startups to accelerate their businesses. This meeting provided useful insights on how the Victorian Government can continue to support local startups and identified opportunities for collaboration with Japanese startups operating at STATION Ai.
• Rinnai, a major supplier of hot water, heating, air conditioning appliances with longstanding manufacturing operations in Victoria that support hundreds of local jobs. The meeting presented the opportunity to emphasise the Victorian Government's ongoing support for the company's investment in the State.

In Tokyo, I met with Australia's Deputy Head of Mission in Japan, Ms Helen Stylianou, to discuss the Commonwealth's engagement in Japan and identify areas Victoria can leverage to generate new economic benefits. This meeting highlighted the growing opportunities for Victoria to contribute to new cooperative efforts with Japan on defence and dual-use technologies, critical minerals, clean energy, and education and research partnerships.

I also met with key representatives from Japanese government and business communities, including the:

• President of the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO), an independent agency of the Japanese Government's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Investment, to discuss opportunities to expand business collaboration between Victoria and Japan across innovation, medical technologies, digital technologies, and critical minerals.
• Chairman of the Japan-Australia Business Cooperation Committee, an organisation with a long history of promoting business ties between Japan and Australia.

My program in Tokyo also included meetings with key Japanese businesses, including:

• Yakult, a world leading food and beverage company with a significant manufacturing presence in Victoria, to express the Victorian Government's support for the company's investment in the State.
• Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Japan's largest financial entity, which established a strategic partnership with RMIT University in February 2025 to foster innovation, develop talent, and address key societal challenges. During this meeting, I highlighted opportunities to establish links with other Victorian entities, particularly in the health and life sciences sector..

Next Steps/Follow Up

Following my visit, several actions have been progressed to ensure strong outcomes are secured for Victorians.

On 21 October 2025, I met again with the Vice-Governor of Aichi Prefecture and Vice Chairperson of the Aichi Prefectural Assembly in Melbourne to further mark the significance of the 45th anniversary milestone in Victoria's sister-state relationship with Aichi. While in Victoria, the Aichi delegation also attended an official reception hosted by the Governor of Victoria, visited the Japanese Garden at Melbourne Zoo, attended a lunch at the Victorian Parliament, and engaged with representatives from the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action.

On 8 October 2025, I met again with the President of JETRO in Melbourne alongside the Minister for Economic Growth and Jobs to further progress discussions on expanding Victoria's business and innovation links with Japan.

Other actions in progress include:

• Deepening Victoria's collaboration with the Japanese health and life sciences ecosystem, including through engagement at key events such as the AusBiotech International Conference in Melbourne.
• Pursuing new partnerships between Victorian and Osaka schools, including under a recently announced Osaka Prefectural Government initiative to subsidise the cost of travel for Japanese students participating in exchange programs at overseas sister schools.
• Exploring the opportunity for strategic partnerships between Victorian entities and Nakanoshima Qross centred around drug discovery efforts.
• Inviting key Japanese startups to attend upcoming conferences in Victoria to foster collaboration with the State's innovation ecosystem.
• Following up with Victorian universities to explore potential partnerships with Japanese universities and raise awareness of significant grants being offered by the Japanese Government to universities that partner with international institutions.
• Exploring opportunities for Victoria to leverage the program of activities planned by the Commonwealth Government to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Australia-Japan Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation in 2026.