Japan-Australia Investment Partnership and Opportunities

JAPAN-AUSTRALIA INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIP AND OPPORTUNITIES

Date: Wednesday, 28 May 2025
Time: 5.30pm for 6.00pm start to 7.30pm (includes networking drinks)
Venue: Herbert Smith Freehills, 480 Queen Street, Brisbane

Join the QJCCI and our event partner, Herbert Smith Freehills to learn more about a record-breaking $141.1 billion cumulative Japanese direct investment into Australia and the 72 transactions and 55 partnerships during 2024. 

The eighth annual Japan-Australia Investment Report 2024: Record-breaking Investment produced by Herbert Smith Freehills and The Australian National University, encapsulates findings and insights on investments that defined 2024, and identifies key drivers for the future. These investments spanned many sectors including real estate, liquefied natural gas, renewable energy and decarbonisation, technology, financial services, consumer goods, infrastructure, housing and services. It is an exciting time for the Japan-Australia investment relationship.

The report identifies Japan as the second-largest source of foreign investment in Australian real estate in 2024, with total investment of over A$3 billion. The last two years of investment in real estate were higher than the previous 22 years combined. Decarbonisation was also identified as a focus of investment. In 2024, 11.1% of Japanese M&A investments into Australia were in the renewable energy and decarbonisation sector.

Changes in the global environment have brought the two countries closer together as essential economic partners. Our Panel will share findings from the report and discuss current Japanese investments in Queensland/Australia, key investment trends and how to tap into these opportunities.

SPEAKERS/PANELISTS:   

• Ian Williams, Senior Advisor, Herbert Smith Freehills and Vice-President, Australia Japan Business Co-operation Committee
  
  Ian has advised over 150 Japanese companies and acted in more than 400 transactions. Clients include leading trading houses, banks, energy companies, consumer goods and manufacturing companies. After 20 years as a partner, Ian became a Senior Adviser in 2020 and continues to work with clients on strategically important transactions and disputes. Ian is also chair of ASX-listed Lindsay Australia and NXT Building Group and a non-executive director of ASX-listed New Hope Corporation. In 2001, Ian co-founded the Australia Japan Roundtable Dinner which has since been held over 190 times in Japan and Australia. He holds bachelor degrees in law and economics from the University of Sydney, and a post-graduate diploma in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from the University of Oxford. Ian is also the only person ever to have represented both Australia (1984-1990) and Japan (1993) in rugby and represented Australia in baseball. In 2016, Ian was awarded the Japanese Foreign Minister's Commendation for service to the Japan Australia relationship in business and sport. Ian speaks business level Japanese.
  
  
• Damien Roberts, Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills
  
  Throughout a career focused heavily on Japan, Damien has assisted many leading Japanese trading houses, manufacturers, energy companies, service providers and infrastructure players pursue growth and resilience in Australia and a variety of offshore jurisdictions.  Based in Tokyo from 2011 before relocating back to Sydney in 2021, Damien leads a cross-border Australia-Japan team to support clients on strategic investments, joint venture operations and long-term project developments. He regularly advises on matters in the manufacturing, machinery, food, consumer goods and healthcare sectors – in addition to guiding clients on a range of energy and large-scale infrastructure projects (including road, rail, airports and water). Damien has formerly served as an Executive Councillor for the Australian and New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Japan.   Damien has held a Level 1 JLPT certification in Japanese for over 25 years, and is a NAATI-accredited interpreter.
  
  
  
• Melissa Swain-Tonkin, Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills
  
  Melissa is an experienced corporate and commercial lawyer who specialises in public and private mergers and acquisitions, predominantly in the energy and resources, renewables and infrastructure sectors, as well as related contractual, corporate governance and regulatory matters. Melissa focusses specifically on advising investors (including private equity funds and Japanese trading houses) on their Australian investments and she has experience across a range of acquisition and divestment structures, corporate restructures, capital raisings and joint ventures and strategic alliances. Having previously held the role of General Counsel & Company Secretary of a listed resources company, Melissa has developed a deep understanding of the mining industry in Australia. Melissa holds a Bachelor of Laws with first class Honours and the University Medal from the University of Queensland. Melissa also holds a Bachelor of Science and completed the AsiaLink Leaders Program in 2015.
  
  
  
• Tak Adachi, Queensland Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner – North Asia, Trade and Investment Queensland (Online)
  
  Tak leads Queensland’s Japan team, as well as overseeing Trade and Investment Commissioners in Taiwan and Korea. He has been Queensland Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner for Japan since 2004.  Before his appointment, Tak was a Senior Investment Commissioner for North Asia at Invest Australia (within the Australian Embassy Tokyo – now part of Austrade), following a successful private-sector career as an investment banker, working in both Japan and Australia with Deutsche Bank as Director Global Markets.  Prior to this, Tak held senior positions with Macquarie Bank and Andersen Consulting (now Accenture). He holds a Bachelor of International Law from Sophia University in Tokyo, and a Master of Business Administration from the Australian Graduate School of Management, which he attended on a Commonwealth Scholarship.
  
  
  

TICKETS: Seats are strictly limited – book now to avoid disappointment

QJCCI Premium Members: Free (plus 1 non-member guest - book guest as a regular member)
QJCCI Regular Members and JCCIB Members: Free

Non-Members: $40.00

Registration closes Friday 23 May 2025