SYDNEY -- They're like an old married couple, comfortable with each other's idiosyncrasies but hardly innovative in their relationship. Yes, we're talking about Japan and Australia.
That's about the way Japanese delegates to last week's summit in Sydney saw the affair. And nobody disagreed.
It's true, of course. Relations between the Pacific neighbors are in a rut. We've become so used to things working so smoothly in trade and investment that we think we can safely ignore each other. Alas, the world has moved on. This old couple has been left sitting back watching other romances blossom in the new global economy.