［June 2021］
Initiating New Sister City Relationships with Local Governments in Japan amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic

“Never let a good crisis go to waste” is a statement that is attributed to Sir Winston Churchill. We believe that this statement can be adapted and applied to sister, friendship, or partner relationships between international cities amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the numerous challenges and hindrances experienced by all in the current environment, we have been informed by local governments in Australia and New Zealand that they are seeking to further expand their existing international relationships. Some are even contemplating initiating new sister city relationships with local governments in Japan.

As described in the CLAIR Sydney Newsletter published in September 2018, there are many appealing aspects for local governments in Australia and New Zealand to initiate new sister city relationships with Japanese local governments. The three countries share similarities on many levels, including democracy, the richness of nature and the high level of safety. There are also little time differences between Australia/New Zealand and Japan, which means that students in Australia/New Zealand and Japan can participate in language exchange sessions during school hours. It is needless to mention that based on the well-rounded relationships between Australia/New Zealand and Japan, any kind of interactions between the three countries will undoubtedly be favourable and straightforward.

We earnestly hope that Australian and New Zealand local governments that currently do not have any partner local government in Japan can consider leveraging the current quiescent times and explore the potential of initiating an international partnership with a local government in Japan. CLAIR Sydney can support local governments in Australia/New Zealand in their search for suitable partnering local governments in Japan. If your local government is interested in finding local government partners in Japan, please send an email to <mailbox@jlgc.org.au>.

Nothing would please us more than connecting potential partnering cities, and witnessing the relationship flourish into a new sister, friendship or partner city relationship. We look forward to receiving many enquiries from local governments in Australia and New Zealand, which will lay the groundwork for the establishment of new sister city relationships with Japanese local governments. We anticipate that the new partnerships formed during the pandemic will have lasting positive contributions to the further development of the local governments involved, and these contributions will extend beyond the end of the pandemic. We believe now is an ideal time to actualise the idea of “tough times bring opportunities”.