The Chairperson of CLAIR Mr Tamotsu Okamoto, based in Tokyo, is a former vice minister of Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication. On his first business trip to Australia, he visited Western Australia to attend the Sister Cities Australia national conference and other meetings.
- Sister Cities Australia national conference
He attended the SCA conference that was held in Bunbury, where he thanked the audience for their continuous cooperation with CLAIR Sydney. He also talked with many participants to realise the current situation of sister city relationships between Australia and Japan, and the current issues that Australian Local Governments face in regards to sister city activities.
On behalf of CLAIR Sydney, Director Mr Tanabe gave a presentation regarding the Australia-Japan sister city relationships.
He not only explained the history and the current situation of the relationships, but also suggested the possibility of further activities such as school to school exchange and sports exchange program.
This is because Australia and Japan have similar features (low criminality, similar time-zones, interests in each other’s languages) as well as differences (hemispheres, cultures). These make exchange easy, yet interesting.
In addition, big sports events will be held in both countries, such as the 2015 Asian Cup in Australia and the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, as well as the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo.
He noted that these events will allow for exciting exchange opportunities.
You can download the presentation from our website;
https://www.jlgc.org.au/about-japan/1110-2/
- Visit to Shire of Augusta Margaret River
After attending the SCA conference, Mr Okamoto visited the Shire of Augusta Margaret River to deepen his understanding of Australian local governments and their revitalisation efforts.
The Shire’s President Cr Michael Smart and one of its senior staff Ms Annie Riordan, who joined our Local Government Exchange and Cooperation seminar in 2014, discussed with our chairperson about local produce related activities such as wineries, as well as local tourism activities such as surfing.
CLAIR would like to strengthen relationships with former seminar participants and continue to work with them.
- Meeting with WALGA Executives
Mr Okamoto met with executives of the Western Australia Local Government Association, and a senior staff from the WA government to discuss about the current situation and issues of local governments in Australia. He talked with the President of WALGA Mayor Troy Pickard, who recently was also elected President of ALGA, about issues such as amalgamations and reformation in WA, the local financial and tax systems, and the relationship with other governments such the federal and state governments. During their conversation many examples from Australia and Japan were raised.
The three WALGA executives we met during the meeting; President Pickard, Deputy President Cr Lynne Craigie (Shire President of East Pilbara), and CEO Ricky Burges have in the past taken part in our local government seminar. Senior Officer in the WA government, Ms Catherine Colvin, who also joined CLAIR’s local government seminar, attended the meeting as well.
Our assistant directors Ms Hirasawa and Mr Hakuta had met Lynne and Catherine in Tokyo when they participated in the seminar. It was naturally a very jovial reunion.
- Meeting with JETAA WA
At the end of his business trip, Mr Okamoto had a meeting with the WA chapter of JETAA – the alumni organisation of former JET Programme participants, which not only fosters friendships, but also help promote Japan related topics by using their experience and networks.
During the meeting, attendees discussed how to strengthen relationships between Australia and Japan, how to further promote Japan, its culture and products in Australia, and how to take advantage of JETAAs, one of the most passionate supporters of Japan. Chairperson Okamoto flew back to Japan with strong will to deepen the relationship between CLAIR and JETAAs.
For more information about the JETAA’s activities;
https://www.jlgc.org.au/our-activities/jet-programme/latest-activities/
From the 3rd to the 13th of December, eight selected swimmers from the Fukuoka Swimming Association visited NSW, where they participated in joint training sessions with a local school and competed in the 2024-25 Speedo NSW Senior State Age Championships.
