On 7 August, Joetsu City Mayor, Mr Hideyuki Murayama and his staff visited Cowra, NSW and then stopped by our office in Sydney where we made a presentation outlining Australia for them.
During World War II, a prisoner of war camp was built in Cowra where many Japanese POWs were detained and where the Cowra Outbreak of 1944 took place, causing casualties amongst both Japanese and Australians. Joetsu City was also the site of a prisoner of war camp where many Australian POWs were detained. Joetsu City and Cowra now have a long-standing friendship agreement and staff exchange program which we hope will strengthen the goodwill and friendship not only between the two cities but also between Australia and Japan.