On 7 Dec, Mr Toshihiro Muto from Joetsu City visited our office. Joetsu City has a long-standing relationship with Cowra, NSW, as both cities share a common history of being sites of a prisoner of war camp. Mr Muto was dispatched to Cowra for about a week under a staff exchange program between Joetsu and Cowra. After the exchange program, he came to Sydney to promote tourism in Joetsu at the Matsuri Japan Festival, which is the biggest Japan festival in Sydney.
A prisoner of war camp was placed in Cowra during World War II, and many Japanese prisoners of war were detained there. In 1944, the tragic Cowra Breakout took place, resulting in a number of casualties. With this history, a Japanese War Cemetery and the Cowra Japanese Garden were built in Cowra. Cowra is a symbol of the strong relationship between Australia and Japan.
In 2019, commemorative events will be held for the 75th anniversary of the Cowra Breakout. CLAIR Sydney will assist at the events together with Japanese organisations in Australia, and will continue to support Joetsu City’s activities in Australia.