NEWSLETTER
Issue 173 – November 2023

Welcome to Oyama CityC O N T E N T S★Discover JAPAN - Oyama City

Oyama City is located in the southern part of Tochigi Prefecture,★News from CLAIR Sydney

approximately 60 km north of Tokyo and 30 km south of Utsunomiya City,- School Exchange Opportunities

the prefectural capital, and takes approximately 40 minutes from Tokyo by★CLAIR Sydney Activity Reports

Shinkansen bullet train. National highways and railways run north-south- Support for Hokkaido (9Oct2023)

and east-west through the city, making it an important transportation hub.

- SusHi Tech Tokyo APCS (11Oct2023)- SCA Conference (12Oct2023)

With a population of approximately 166,000, this city ranks as the second- Support for Okayama

largest in the prefecture. The number of foreign residents is approximately(18,21Oct2023)

7400, and the residency rate is the second highest in the prefecture,- Support for Nagano(24Oct2023)

making it one of the municipalities with a large foreign population- Support for Tochigi (26Oct2023)

nationwide.

- JETAA Oceania Conference inMelbourne (28-29Oct2023)

Moreover, there is a well-balanced mix of agriculture and commerce, and- First Anniversary Events Friendshipthe area surrounding the urban centre features rich pastoral

City Moka City and Harvey Cityenvironments, including farmland and flatwood forests.

Villages (31Oct2023)★From the Executive Director1

Oyama City is a 'Garden City' that stands out within the metropolitan area, characterised by a harmonious balance
between a rich rural environment and urban surrounding, shaped by a long-standing history, traditions, and culture thathave been passed down for generations, creating expansive and vibrant atmosphere.
In spring, visitors can enjoy vivid cherry blossoms, including Omoigawazakura, a variety native to Oyama City with palepink flowers. Visitors can walk or jog while viewing the cherry blossoms, or capture photogenic pictures along the cherrytree-lined approach.
Festivals and events are also among the attractions ofOyama City. Every year on 5th of May, one of Kanto
region’s leading eccentric festivals, "Mamada noJagamaita," is held, designated as an Important
Intangible Folk Cultural Properties of the nation.
Seven giant snakes made of bamboo and ferns paradethrough the Mamada area, praying for a rich harvestand good health.
In late July every year, one of the biggest events inOyama City, the "Oyama Summer Festival" is held
lighting up the summer night sky with over 20,000 fireworks and leaving inspiration to many people.

Additionally, as an important environmental resource to be passed on to future generations, there is the vast Watarase
Retarding Basin(Watarase-yusuichi), which spans four prefectures (Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, and Ibaraki).
In the Watarase Retarding Basin, designated as a Ramsar Convention wetland in 2012, visitors can enjoy a variety of naturallandscapes throughout the four seasons. And since 2018, the Oriental Stork, designated as a Special Natural Monumentof Japan, has been establishing a habitat and from 2020, chicks have been born for four consecutive years.
2The inhabiting and breeding of the Oriental Stork serve as evidence of the rich and harmonious ecosystem in thesurrounding area of Watarase Retarding Basin.

Oyama City is actively promoting citizen international exchange and international understanding. In 2005, the city formeda sister city affiliation with Cairns, Queensland. Since then, students responsible for the future of both cities have served
as bridges between them by engaging in language training and interactions with local residents.
Although in-person exchanges were impossible by the challenges posed by the pandemic, in 2021, a commemorative
ceremony was held to mark the 15th anniversary of the sister city affiliation. During the event, the mayors of both cities
held a virtual meeting, reaffirming the deep bond between the sister cities.
While the local exchange program was temporarily suspended, in August 2023, 22 students from Oyama City visited Cairns
for the first time in four years. Through activities such as a visit to the city hall, school exchanges, and homestays, they
were able to deepen friendships with local residents.
The exchange with Cairns City holds great significance for the future of Oyama City.
Oyama City will continue to foster a deeper and enduring relationship between the two cities by implementing variousexchanges, including student exchanges.

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News from CLAIR Sydney
School Exchange Opportunities
To support cultural exchange between schools in Japan and Australia/NewZealand, CLAIR Sydney has a dedicated page on our website that lists schools inJapan that are interested in initiating cultural exchange with schools inAustralia/New Zealand.
Please click on the link or scan the QR code below for more information on therespective schools.
Should you be interested in a particular school, please get in touch with them!

Schools interested in exchange opportunities - CLAIR Sydney (jlgc.org.au)

CLAIR Sydney October Activity Report
Support Activities for Hokkaido Association of Towns and Villages (9 Oct 2023)
On 9 October, the delegation from Hokkaido Association of Towns and Villages (HATV) for overseas administrative
inspection and research visited the CLAIR Sydney office. The delegation was made up of a total of 10 town and village
mayors, including Hokuryu Town Mayor Yutaka Sano, who also serves as the Vice Chairman of HATV.
The delegation visited Australia this time to learn from Australia's advanced efforts in areas such as urban planning, fisheryindustry, dairy farming, and environmental policies.
CLAIR Sydney provided the delegation with a briefing and Q&A session on the administration, political and economic
overview of Australia in advance of the 5-day on-site investigation by the delegation. During the briefing, there weresurprising observations regarding the differences with Japan and the high level of interest in Japan. For instance, it wasmentioned that the top executive positions in local government (CEO or GM) may be publicly advertised, and Australia isranked first in the world in terms of the number of Japanese learners per 100,000 population.
During the Q&A session, we received a multitude of questions,covering topics such as financial structure, immigration policy, andmore.
CLAIR Sydney will continue to support the overseas activities ofJapanese local governments visiting Australia to address thechallenges faced by local governments.
4SusHi Tech Tokyo 2024 Promotion at the 2023 Asia Pacific Cities Summit (11-13 Oct 2023)
From 11 to 13 October, the 2023 Asia Pacific Cities Summit (APCS), an international conference where city representatives
and business people mainly from the Asia Pacific region gathered, was held at the Brisbane Exhibition Center. This year's
conference was themed on "Shaping Cities for our Future," and participants from various countries set up booths in theexhibition hall to promote their products, services and policies.
In response to a request from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG), a CLAIR Sydney office staff attended the APCS
together with TMG members to support their promotion for the SusHi Tech Tokyo 2024, a large-scale event that will beheld by the TMG in 2024.
More than 250 people visited the TMG’s booth, including city leaders, councillors, executives, and business people. Inparticular, the “SusHi Tech Tokyo 2024'' logo with a sushi motif attracted the attention of visitors.
CLAIR Sydney will continue to support each local government's promotion in Australia.
https://www.sushi-tech-tokyo2024.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/ for details of SusHi Tech Tokyo 2024.

Sister Cities Australia 2023 National Conference (12 Oct 2023)
On 12 October, the Sister Cities Australia 2023 National Conference was held in Wyndham, Victoria. It has been four years
since the face-to-face conference was held in 2019. Over 100 representatives from Australian local governments, sistercity committees, and relevant organizations in Australia, New Zealand, United States of America, Italy and China
participated in this conference.
At the conference, topics such as examples of outstanding sister city exchanges, engagement of the younger generation,and the benefits of sister city exchanges were shared.
CLAIR Sydney promoted sister city relationships between Japan and Australia, and our Japanese local government support5

activities at the information table. It was our pleasure to network with conference attendees who are interested in finding
more about CLAIR or have an existing relationship with Japan.
CLAIR Sydney will continue to work together with Sister Cities Australia and take up every opportunity to strengthen therelationship with local governments, sister city committees, and contribute to the further exchanges.

Support Activities for Okayama Prefecture (18,21 Oct 2023)
From 18 October, the delegation from Okayama Prefecture led by Governor of Okayama Prefecture, Mr. Ryuta Ibaragi,
visited Australia for events such as the 30th anniversary reception of the Sister State relationship between Okayama
Prefecture and South Australia.
CLAIR Sydney provided support for activities in Adelaide and Sydney such as accompanying their visit.
The delegation met the Governor and the Premier of South Australia, and the 30th anniversary reception was held in
Adelaide hosted by the Deputy Premier of South Australia, the Honourable Dr Susan Close MP. At the reception, it was
mutually acknowledged between Okayama Prefecture and South Australia that they aim to continue fostering friendly
relations in various fields, including economics and education, with the hope that they can celebrate just like they did
today 30 years from now.

6On 21 October, the delegation visited the CLAIR Sydney office.
CLAIR Sydney provided them with a briefing and Q&A session on the overview of Australia with a focus on changes overthe past five years.
They expressed surprise at the progressing multiculturalism in Australia over the past five years and the especially highnational minimum wage in Australia.
Furthermore, our staffs accompanied the inspection of public transportation and other visits that took place afterwards.
It is expected that this visit will be a catalyst for a stronger relationship between Okayama Prefecture and South Australia
and this relationship will continue to thrive through exchanges such as in economy and education.

Support Activities for Nagano Prefecture (24 Oct 2023)
On 24 October, two members of the Nagano Prefectural Assembly, Masayasu Shimizu and Hideki Yamada, visited the CLAIR
Sydney office.
They visited Australia this time to investigate the latest developments, including Australia's economic conditions, to assistin policy formulation and review related to the activities of local companies in the prefecture, attracting tourism to Nagano
Prefecture, and expanding the export of locally-produced goods.
CLAIR Sydney provided them with a briefing and Q&A session on the administration, political and economic overview ofAustralia and Australia’s multiculturalism policies.
During the Q&A session, we received a multitude of questions, not limited to the purpose of this investigation but also
covering CLAIR's role, sister cities, and topics such as the national referendum that took place on 14 October.
CLAIR Sydney will continue to support the overseas activities of Japanese local governments investigating the latest
developments in Australia.

7Support Activities for Tochigi Prefecture (26 Oct 2023)
On 26 October, the delegation from the Tochigi Prefectural Assembly for overseas administrative research, led by Masao
Kotoyori, visited the CLAIR Sydney office.
The delegation visited Australia this time to research Australia's advanced efforts in areas such as infrastructuredevelopment for multicultural coexistence that should be addressed in Tochigi Prefectural government’s future policies.
This investigation will be utilised to improve the prefectural assembly operations and policy formulation capabilities.
CLAIR Sydney provided them with a briefing and Q&A session on the administration, political and economic overview ofAustralia and Australia’s multiculturalism policies.
Especially in regard to the multiculturalism policies, we provided explanations based on our past research and our staff’s
first-hand experiences living in Australia, we received a multitude of questions from various perspectives.
CLAIR Sydney will continue to support the overseas activities of Japanese local governments investigating the latest
developments in Australia.

JETAA Oceania Conference in Melbourne (28-29 Oct 2023)
From 28 to 29 October, the annual Oceania conference of JETAA was held in Melbourne, bringing together representatives
from various branches in Australia and New Zealand and even Singapore.
On the evening before the conference, a welcome reception was hosted by the Consulate General of Japan in Melbourne
for JETAA participants and those returning to Melbourne after completing the programme this year.
During the conference, attendees engaged in lively discussions, exchanging their recent activities and sharing ideas to deal
with issues they face.

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CLAIR Sydney also conducted a presentation, sharing our recent activities this year.
We express our gratitude for the unwavering cooperation from each JETAA branch towards the JET program and theirenduring commitment to maintaining connections with Japan even after they finished the programme. We will continue
to offer dedicated support to JETAA, ensuring that their future activities are even more enriching.

First Anniversary Events of the Friendship City Affiliation between Moka City and Harvey CityVillages (31 Oct 2023)
In commemoration of the first anniversary of the friendship city partnership established in June 2022 between Moka Cityin Tochigi Prefecture and Harvey Shire in Western Australia, a Celebration Dinner was held on 31 October. Participantsfrom Moka City included Mayor Shinichi Ishizaka, Chairman Takayuki Kushige, school representatives, and city officials,
who visited Western Australia for the occasion.
The interaction between the two cities began in 2003, when Moka Junior High School and Australind Senior High School
signed a sister school agreement. Online discussions between the mayors, as well as online exchanges between threejunior high schools in Moka City and Harvey Senior High School, further deepened their ties in 2021, leading to theestablishment of the friendship city relationship in June 2022. The dinner featured a slideshow video showcasing thehistory of interactions between the two cities, which was greatly appreciated by the attendees.
Furthermore, Mayor Ishizaka, Mayor of Harvey Shire, and the Acting Premier of Western Australia, expressed a desire forgreater collaboration between the two cities during their speech, raising hopes for the continued development of thiscordial relationship.
CLAIR Sydney participated in the commemorative events for Moka Cityand Harvey Shire, providing an opportunity to reaffirm theoutstanding friendship between the two cities. We remain committed
to supporting and promoting the friendship city exchanges between
Moka City and Harvey Shire in the future.

9From the Executive Director
JETAA - A Vital Link Between Australia/New Zealand and Japan.
Last month, we attended the JETAA Oceania Conference held in Melbourne. JETAA is an abbreviation for JET Alumni
Association which is a self-supporting alumni association established to strengthen and maintain the bonds of friendshipformed between JET Programme participants. The purpose of JETAA is to promote a broader and deeper understanding
between Japan and the countries participating on the JET Programme. There are eight JETAA chapters in Australia andNew Zealand. They continue to be a vital link between Australia/New Zealand and Japan.
Representatives from each branch in Australia and New Zealand gather once a year for the JETAA Oceania Conference,
where they engage in lively discussions, exchanging recent activities and sharing ideas to address issues they face. The
Singapore representative also attended this year’s conference. Each branch hosts it once a year on a rotational basis. We
would like to express our gratitude to the VIC/TAS/SA chapter for organising this event. On the evening before theconference, a welcome reception was hosted by the Consulate General of Japan in Melbourne. We would like to takethis opportunity to thank them. I was once again deeply impressed and humbled by their sincere efforts throughout theconference. It was truly amazing.
As of 1 July 2023, there are 455 JET Program participants from Australia/New Zealand in Japan. We believe they are helping
to maximise the potential of young Japanese people, especially in regard to globalisation and they gain many exciting andunique experiences that they will continue to cherish after leaving Japan. We hope that after their time as a JET, they will
participate in JETAA activities and continue to be a vital link between Australia/New Zealand and Japan. We would greatly
appreciate if you could introduce JETAA to former JET Program participants around you. CLAIR Sydney will continue tosupport JETAA.

Japan Local Government Centre, CLAIR Sydney
Level 12, Challis House, 4 Martin Place, Sydney NSW 2000 Australia

Tel: 61-2-9241-5033
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