Japan finance minister calls for investment from Australia

SYDNEY -- Japan is seeking to attract financial services firms and investments of various kinds from Australia, Minister of Finance Satsuki Katayama said on Wednesday, emphasizing the importance of Australia-Japan ties at a time of rising geopolitical tensions.Katayama, in an address to the Nikkei Asia Forum Sydney, cited Australia's "indispensable" role as a source of energy and minerals while describing the two nations' ties as a "stabilizing power in the region" amid increasing fragmentation.She said she hoped that more investors would take advantage of Japanese reforms designed to smooth the path for overseas firms, noting that the efforts had seen more than 50 overseas financial institutions, including from Australia, enter Japan in the last five years."As we deepen cooperation in the