However, the diplomatic note, which was allegedly leaked by the government to the media, has since been referred to authorities.<\/p>\n
Shadow defence minister James Paterson said on Wednesday the leaked letter was an apparent \u201cunlawful disclosure of confidential correspondence\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government appears to be leaking confidential correspondence from the government of Japan to the media,\u201d he said at a press conference.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is important that our closest allies have confidence that when they share confidential correspondence with us that it will not find its way in the media.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn a dangerous strategic environment that trust with our closest partners is critically important. It is important that the AFP get to the bottom of this matter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Paterson confirmed the police had received the referral, which he said included calls to investigate the Office of the Prime Minister.<\/p>\n
“Under Division 122 of the Criminal Code it is an offence to disclose confidential information if you are a public servant,” Mr Paterson said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“That includes for example members of the Prime Minister’s office including his media team.”<\/p>\n
![\"Nationals](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0e56aa7c151961f70e1673e7e86e94a3.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Shadow foreign affairs minister Ted O\u2019Brien warned that diplomatic trust between Australia and Japan could be eroded if there was not accountability in this situation.<\/p>\n
The diplomatic cable sent from Japan to Australia said Tokyo took no \u201cill intention\u201d from Mr Albanese\u2019s comments and was willing to move on from the issue.<\/p>\n
However, despite this, former Japan ambassador to Australia Shingo Yamagami told News24 that the incident had certainly \u201cmade an impact\u201d on the relationship.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a difference between \u2026 real feelings and \u2026 facade, and I think the Japanese government is sticking to this facade to maintain a cordial relationship,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you take a close look at what’s being said on Japanese SNS (social media), certainly, this has made an impact on our special strategic partnership.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo what is important? Yes, we need to move on, but I think we need to show mutual respect to each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Albanese government has repeatedly accused the Coalition of trying to misrepresent the diplomatic exchange in order to score political points.<\/p>\n
Assistant Multicultural Affairs Minister Julian Hill told News24 that the opposition was wasting police resources by making the referral.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe opposition is so desperate for a political stunt that they’re literally wasting the time of the Australian Federal Police with ridiculous referrals,\u201d Mr Hill said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey should be investigating, they should be allowed to focus on child sex trafficking and money laundering.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Australian Federal Police recently spent months on an investigation into One Nation leader Pauline Hanson’s comments about Muslims.<\/p>\n
At that time, Mr Albanese said the police should be allowed to investigate the comments which he said were \u201caimed at just dividing people\u201d.<\/p>\n
Asked by News24 whether the remarks could fall foul of hate speech laws passed by his government, he declined to comment.<\/p>\n
“I’m not a lawyer, nor am I in charge of fulfilling those laws, I’ll allow the appropriate authorities to engage,” Mr Albanese said.<\/p>\n
“There’s a separation here. Politicians, we’re responsible for putting laws in place. It’s important that the authorities, who I have confidence in, be allowed to do their job.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Albanese government has been referred to the Australian Federal Police over a leaked diplomatic cable from 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