On August 5–12, 2001, a multiparty delegation of five Diet members traveled to Sydney and Canberra as part of the Australia-Japan Young Political Leaders Exchange to meet a wide range of Australian leaders, including the Hon. Alexander Downer MP (Minister for Foreign Affairs), the Hon. Neil Andrew (Speaker of the House of Representatives), the Hon. John Anderson MP (Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the National Party), and the Hon. John Faulkner (Leader of the Opposition in the Senate). Delegates also met with executives of the various political parties—the Australian Labor Party, the National Party, and the Liberal Party of Australia—to gain a more in-depth understanding of the various party philosophies and structures. The delegation received a briefing from Prof. Peter Drysdale, Executive Director of the Australian National University’s Australia-Japan Research Centre. In Sydney, they spoke about local electoral issues and met with members of the New South Wales Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Friendship Group.