［November 2018］
Recipients of the Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications Award for excellent international exchange relationships in Japan

In Japan, the Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications Award was established in 2006 and is awarded to those organizations that have achieved excellent international exchange relationship with one another. So far, four organizations that have sister city or friendship city relationships with Australian cities have been granted this award. Despite the amazing efforts by sister cities and friendship cities between New Zealand and Japan, unfortunately no organization that has sister city or friendship city relationship with New Zealand cities has been granted this award so far.

Firstly, the renowned Yamato Takada Lismore Sister City Association is a recent recipient. This sister city relationship is the first, and therefore the oldest, such relationship between Australia and Japan. This year marks the fifty-fifth anniversary. In addition, a strong interest in the relationship is fostered locally in Yamato Takada, where all students are given a booklet that introduces Lismore and the history of the two cities’ exchanges. The strength of the relationship was apparent when Yamato Takada residents held fundraising activities and donated to disaster relief when Lismore was struck by floods.

The Odawara and Northern Beaches (former Manly) relationship is another award recipient. As a symbol of friendship, Manly named a street ‘Odawara Close’. Exchange program alumni provide strong support for subsequent participants, ensuring a strong network that contributes to the overall development and stability of the exchange program. Moreover, this relationship has been a recipient of Sister Cities Australia awards three times.

The Oobu City and Port Phillips sister city relationship is another award recipient. This relationship features an exchange program between city council staff, for three months of every year, creating an exciting opportunity for staff to learn about practices and policies, language, culture and more. In particular, the ‘Clean up the World’ project, an environmental initiative that started in Australia, has been adopted by Oobu through the ‘Clean up the World in Oobu’ event. Also, Oobu citizens have donated to penguin conservation in Port Phillips. When the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred in 2011, Port Phillips citizens held a charity event and donated the proceedings to Oobu. Oobu was then able to pass this donation on to its friendship city, Tono, which was directly affected by the earthquake.

Another award recipient is Yokosuka’s sister city relationship with four cities in Australia (Fremantle), France, the UK, and the US, which I wrote about in our last newsletter. For those who missed it, Yokosuka City is actively working to further awareness and share the concept of ‘Fair Trade’ with its sister cities. The sister city network has, in this instance, proved to be an effective method of further awareness about worthy causes such as Fair Trade among governments, organisations, and citizens in a way that extends beyond national borders. The network has great potential to assist similar endeavours in future.

I hope that these examples can be food for thought as your city or organisation considers initiating a new sister city relationship, or seeks to further develop an existing relationship.