Endorsement Guidelines

The 2006 Australia-Japan Year of Exchange (YOE) was agreed to by Prime Ministers Howard and Koizumi during Mr Howard's visit to Tokyo in July 2003. The year commemorates the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation 1976, also known as the NARA Treaty (Nippon-Australia Relations Agreement), with a series of exchanges between our two countries.

The Basic Treaty aims to strengthen and diversify Australia-Japan relations on matters of mutual interest in the political, economic, trade, commercial, social and cultural fields.

Australian individuals, groups and organisations are invited to participate in the year by seeking official endorsement for possible Year of Exchange events and activities. Endorsement will give organisers the opportunity to be part of a broader bilateral celebration and may draw greater attention to their events. It may also be useful in attracting Japanese counterpart organisations and audiences. Endorsement will enable organisations to use the YOE logo and to appear on the official program of events. Examples of possible events are as follows:

Sister city/sister state exchanges
Visual and performing arts events
Indigenous culture presentations
Educational tours, school visits, teacher exchanges
English-Japanese language training opportunities
Academic collaborations; conferences
Tourism promotions
Sporting events, training camps;
Science and technology exhibits and collaborations;
Government talks
Parks and gardens - exchanges, dedications, tree-planting
Literary events - Author tours, book readings, joint publications
Historical document reproduction, digitisation, archive
Library exchanges, collaborations, collections
Trade promotion - exporters networking, trade fairs
Food and wine promotion
Professional (services) and business exchanges, delegations and workshops
Media exchanges and visits

Please note that 2006 Australia-Japan Year of Exchange endorsement is not a funding program.

Eligibility for endorsement

To be considered for endorsement by the Embassy, events must:

take place or culminate in Japan in 2006, or in Australia in cooperation with Japanese partners, or to promote elements of the Australia-Japanese relationship.
actively promote friendship, deeper mutual understanding and cooperation between Australia and Japan, in the spirit of the 1976 Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, through
- Bilateral exchanges in the fields of politics, business, the arts and culture, education, science and technology, sport and tourism.
- Bilateral collaborations in these fields.
- Events or activities that showcase Australia in these fields to a Japanese audience.
- Strengthening existing bilateral links, for example, sister city/sister state relationships.

Who can apply for endorsement?

Individuals, government agencies, business, community groups and schools can apply.

Successful applicants may also request use of the official YOE logo. If granted, they will be required to enter into a licence agreement with DFAT. The purpose of this agreement is to:

Protect the ownership rights of DFAT;
Clearly define the ways in which the YOE logo may be used; and
Ensure that DFAT is indemnified against all legal and financial responsibilities arising from the event.

Conditions of endorsement

If your application for endorsement and use of the logo is successful, the project, event or activity is subject to the following conditions:

The primary objective of the endorsed project, event or activity must be to promote friendship, deeper mutual understanding and cooperation between Australia and Japan. Endorsement will be withdrawn if this is shown not to be the case.
You are solely responsible for, and should take all appropriate action to ensure that the content and use of any material, product or service does not infringe applicable statutes or laws or any rights of third parties.
Your endorsed project, event or activity must be organised, promoted and held in a safe, efficient and proper manner and in accordance with all relevant laws and regulations.
All responsibility for the endorsed project, event or activity will be borne by the organiser.
DFAT/Embassy may request a brief report of the endorsed project, event or activity following completion.
The logo is the exclusive property of the DFAT. It is protected under copyright laws.
Your right to use the logo ends on the completion of your endorsed project, event or activity.
Your use of the logo must comply with requirements in the Style Guide.
DFAT/Embassy retains the right to withdraw your authority to use the logo if, at any time, your use of the logo is deemed to be offensive or demeaning to DFAT/Embassy or the 2006 Australia-Japan Year of Exchange in general.
Commercial use of the logo will be considered on a case-by-case basis and a licence fee may be charged.

The process

Download Application Form (Word, 228kB)

Please email your completed application form and supporting material to yoe-japan@dfat.gov.au. If necessary, applications can be mailed to

A notice of acceptance or rejection shall be sent to the applicant. No explanation of rejection shall be granted. Documentation will not be returned.

If your application for use of the logo is successful, you will receive two copies of a licence agreement for signature. You should return one signed copy to the

You should not use the logo until the 2006 Australia-Japan Year of Exchange Style Guide has been forwarded to you.

Endorsed event details will be listed on the official 2006 Australia-Japan Year of Exchange calendar of events.

You should keep the Embassy informed of progress with endorsed events and notify us of any changes to the original proposal.

The Embassy will support endorsed event organisers as far as practicable to ensure the event meets its YOE objectives.

Further information is available from:

yoe-japan@dfat.gov.au