John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I ask for the indulgence of the House. The House will recall that I informed it on 28 May that I had invited His Excellency Mr Shinzo Abe, the Prime Minister of Japan, to address a joint sitting of the parliament. I regret to inform the House that the Prime Minister rang me a few days ago to say that, although he would be proceeding with his visit to Australia in September for APEC, domestic political commitments precluded his continuing on to pay a bilateral visit to Canberra.

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