Why I’m in Tokyo

I am writing this from Tokyo, where I am spending part of my time learning Japanese and building relationships across two markets I care about. People ask why. The short answer is that the Australia and Japan relationship is one of the most important I know of, and it is built almost entirely on the industries I have worked in my whole career.

For decades Japan has been one of the largest buyers of what Australia digs up and ships: iron ore, coal, and liquefied natural gas among them. That trade is not a transaction. It runs on long-horizon contracts, patient capital and a level of trust between counterparties that took generations to build. I spent my early career as a geotechnical engineer in Australian iron-ore operations, and later advised resource and industrial businesses on strategy and operating models. The whole time, Japan was on the other side of the value chain. It felt natural to come and understand it properly.

The relationship is also changing, which is the interesting part. Energy transition, supply-chain security and decarbonisation are reshaping what these two countries need from each other. The old exports still matter, and new ones such as low-carbon materials, hydrogen and critical minerals are moving from talk to investment. Getting those decisions right calls for exactly the work I do: clear strategy, operating models that hold, and a sober commercial case for the sustainability claims underneath it all.

Learning the language is part of that. I do not expect fluency to close a deal, but I do believe that showing up, listening carefully and doing business in a way that respects how things are done here matters more than any slide. Japanese business rewards patience, precision and long relationships. Those happen to be the same qualities that resource and industrial projects reward everywhere.

So I am here to be useful on both sides. To Australian businesses that want to build durable links into Japan, and to Japanese partners looking at Australian resources, industry and technology, I offer something specific: someone who understands the assets, the strategy and both cultures, and who reads the ground before recommending where to build.

If that is a corridor you are working in, I would like to hear from you. どうぞお気軽にご連絡ください。