Minister for Resources and Minister for Northern Australia Madeleine King will visit Japan this weekend for talks on energy and resources security with ministers from key trading partners and industry leaders.

Minister King will take part in the Indo-Pacific Energy Security Ministerial and Business Forum, which is being co-hosted by the Japanese and United States governments and with ministers attending from India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Timor-Leste.

She will also hold bilateral meetings with ministerial counterparts, US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, Japan’s Minister for Economy, Trade and Investment Ryosei Akazawa, and Minister for Trade, Industry and Resources Dr Jungkwan Kim from the Republic of Korea.

Minister King and Secretary Burgum will use the opportunity to conduct the Critical Minerals Ministerial meeting stemming from the Australia-United States Critical Minerals Framework signed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and President Donald Trump last October.

Minister King said the forum was an important opportunity to discuss energy security following the current disruption to global energy markets due to the conflict in the Middle East.

“Australia is committed to resilient and secure energy supply chains that underpin regional stability and economic security,” Minister King said.

“Global supply chains and energy security challenges cannot be solved by any country alone, and fora like this are essential for coordinated action and shared solutions.” 

The forum is co-hosted by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the US National Energy Dominance Council.

This is Minister King’s fifth visit to Japan.