Newsletter No.204

 Through tourism and other ventures, Fukushima Prefecture is strengthening its ties with Australia, sharing details of the current situation in Fukushima and promoting the region’s diverse attractions. 

In May 2025, Governor Masao Uchibori visited Australia, and met with Her Excellency the Honorable Sam Mostyn AC, Governor-General of Australia, government officials, representatives of foreign embassies, and Japanese community organisations. Through these meetings, Governor Uchibori directly shared the current state of Fukushima’s recovery following the Great East Japan Earthquake and nuclear accident, as well as the prefecture’s many attractions, including its food and tourism experiences. 

Alongside promoting the renowned sake of Fukushima, to expand sales opportunities in the Australian market, the prefecture also participated in the Snow Travel Expo. As Australia’s largest snow travel exhibition, it was the perfect venue to showcase the region’s ski resorts and high-quality powder snow. Through these initiatives, Fukushima is working to raise awareness of the region as a travel destination and attract more international visitors.  In the tourism sector, Fukushima Prefecture signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to promote tourism with the Australian Tourism Industry Association (ATIA). Following the signing of the MOU, Fukushima and ATIA worked together in November 2025 to invite three Australian travel companies to Fukushima for a familiarisation (FAM) tour. This partnership is making a significant contribution to raising awareness of Fukushima among Australian travel professionals. 

 This year, with the full support of ATIA, Fukushima also hosted a webinar for Australian travel companies, with participants invited to join an upcoming FAM tour later in the year.  The tour will introduce Aizu, an area where Fukushima’s history and traditional culture remain particularly strong, as well as Hope Tourism*. 

Fukushima offers a rich variety of experiences: delicious local cuisine, world-class sake, traditional culture, samurai heritage, and excellent snow for skiing. With its unique combination of history, culture, food and nature, Fukushima offers something new to discover on every visit. We will continue to strengthen our exchanges and promote Fukushima in Australia, with the hope that more Australians will choose Fukushima as their next destination in Japan. 

*Hope Tourism: A unique travel experience derived from Fukushima’s status as the only place in the world to have experienced the complex triple-disaster of an earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident. This Fukushima-specific “learning journey” takes place in disaster-affected areas and explores the experiences and lessons learned from  the earthquake and nuclear disaster. 

 The longstanding Sister City relationship between Gladstone Regional Council and Saiki City, Japan, reached a significant milestone in 2026, with the two communities celebrating 30 years of friendship, cultural exchange and shared connection.

To mark the 30th anniversary, Gladstone Mayor Matt Burnett, Gladstone Regional Council and the local community welcomed a delegation from Saiki City in July 2026.

The delegation was led by Saiki Mayor Kuniko Tomitaka and included Saiki City Council representatives Kyo Sugahara (Secretary to the Mayor, Mayor’s Office and Public Relations Division); Takatoshi Fukuda (Assistant Director, Connecting Communities Division); Hiroaki Kamikawa (Assistant Chief General, Connecting Communities Division); and Kate Alessia Maccarone (Coordinator for International Relations, Connecting Communities Division).

The delegation was also joined by a group of Saiki students who travelled to the Gladstone region to experience local schools, community life, culture and industry, and to build connections with young people and the wider Gladstone community.

The visit provided an opportunity to reflect on three decades of connection between Saiki and Gladstone, while also strengthening the relationship for future generations.

【Connecting through education and young people】

A key focus of the visit was providing opportunities for the Saiki students to connect with young people in the Gladstone region.

The students participated in visits to Chanel College, Tannum Sands State School and Tannum Sands State High School, giving them the opportunity to experience Australian education and meet local students. The school visits encouraged cultural exchange, with students sharing their experiences of life and education in Japan and Australia.

The students also stayed with local host families in Tannum Sands, providing a valuable opportunity to experience everyday Australian family and community life.

For the young participants, the visit was about much more than sightseeing. It created friendships, encouraged cross-cultural understanding and demonstrated how international relationships can have a lasting impact at a personal level.

【Showcasing the Gladstone region】

The delegation also experienced some of the diverse opportunities and attractions that make the Gladstone region unique.

The program included visits to Awoonga Dam, CQUniversity, local schools, the Gladstone Region Art Gallery and Museum (GRAGM), the Gladstone Library and local industry.

A regional industry tour provided the Saiki delegation with an insight into Gladstone’s economic strengths and industrial landscape, while visits to local cultural facilities showcased the region’s creative and community assets. The program also included opportunities to experience the local environment, including visits around Tannum Sands and the coastline.

【Strengthening economic and civic connections】

The anniversary visit also provided an opportunity to strengthen connections beyond cultural exchange.

A Trade and Investment Round Table brought together representatives to discuss opportunities for economic and business connections between Gladstone and Saiki.

The Saiki delegation also met with local representatives and experienced a range of Gladstone facilities and community initiatives, reinforcing the broader value of the Sister City relationship.

These activities highlighted how the relationship has the potential to support not only cultural and educational exchange, but also future collaboration across business, investment, tourism and community development.

【Sharing culture and community】

Cultural exchange was an important part of the visit, with the delegation experiencing local arts, community activities and Australian traditions.

A cultural burn, visits to the Gladstone Region Art Gallery and Museum and community activities provided opportunities for the delegation to learn more about the region’s history, culture and identity.

The visit also included a farewell barbecue at Millennium Esplanade, bringing together the delegation, local students, host families, Council representatives and members of the community.

These informal moments were an important part of the program, allowing relationships to develop beyond the formal itinerary.

【Looking to the next 30 years】

The 30th anniversary visit was an opportunity to celebrate the history of the Saiki–Gladstone relationship while looking towards its future.

Since the Sister City relationship commenced in 1996, generations of residents, students, volunteers, community organisations and local government representatives have contributed to maintaining the connection between the two cities. The 2026 delegation demonstrated that the relationship continues to provide meaningful opportunities for cultural understanding, education, friendship and collaboration.

Most importantly, the visit placed young people at the centre of the anniversary celebrations, helping to ensure that the friendship between Saiki and Gladstone continues to grow.

As the two communities look towards the next chapter, the 30th anniversary provides a strong foundation for renewed student exchanges, cultural programs, community partnerships and opportunities for people from Saiki and Gladstone to learn from one another.

Thirty years of friendship is a significant achievement – and the connections created through this visit will help shape the next 30 years of the Saiki–Gladstone Sister City relationship.

  My name is Dashiel Baker. I’m a second-year Arts student at UNSW studying Politics & International Relations and Japanese. I’ve been self-studying Japanese for about six years now, on and off, and that study led me to CLAIR. I recently completed an internship at CLAIR Sydney through my university’s Work Integrated Learning (WIL) program, and so I thought it would be useful to briefly document my experience.

Over the last two months, two days a week, I primarily did bilingual policy research in English and Japanese on topics ranging from busking laws to the minimum wage to homelessness. But my main project was comparing the NSW Government’s Transport Oriented Development (TOD) Program with Japan’s compact-city planning framework (ricchi tekiseika keikaku). Far more interesting than it sounds; Japan is planning its cities inward because there will soon be too few people to keep the outskirts running, whereas NSW is rezoning around its stations because there are too many people and nowhere to put them. Opposite problems, and yet, both arrived at more or less the same answer.

Aside from that, a particular highlight was getting the opportunity to deliver an orientation briefing in Japanese to a group of visiting Japanese middle school students. Two months earlier, I’m almost certain, I would have been far too nervous to even attempt something of the sort. What I’ll carry with me most, though, is the office environment itself. I won’t name anyone in particular because that would mean having to name everyone. But our weekly one-on-one discussions meant I got the chance to know everyone properly, and not just those I worked with directly.

   
On my last day I was thrown a farewell party, and at the end of it everyone stood up and made a tunnel with their arms for me to walk out through. I thought about it the entire way home.

So thank you all for your patience with my Japanese, your feedback on my mountain of drafts, and your kindness throughout.