The sixth Australian delegation visited Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, and Fukuoka on October 23–November 1, 1996 as part of the Australia-Japan Young Political Leaders Exchange. National elections had been held on October 20 under a new electoral system, and the close results opened up a struggle for a coalition government. 

The nine-member delegation, consisting of federal and state members of parliament and staff members, met with several figures of the post-election period, among them Takako Doi, chair of the Social Democratic Party, and senior members of the emerging New Frontier Party. Shinichi Yoshida, senior political correspondent for the Asahi Shimbun, spoke to the group on the implications of the election. The week’s agenda also included meetings with leaders who spoke on Australia-Japan relations, the economic outlook for Japan, the environment, and the role of unions in Japanese politics. From Tokyo, the delegation moved on to Kyoto, Hiroshima, and then Fukuoka, where the group met with business leaders, traveled to corporate and industrial sites, and visited two nonprofit overseas technology training organizations.