The Consul-General of Japan in Sydney's Newsletter - Past Issues
No. 1 Japanese Community in Sydney - November 1, 2019
I am Kiya Masahiko, Consul-General of Japan in Sydney. I arrived in Sydney in October. Thank you in advance for your support.
I intend to use this webpage, “The Consul-General of Japan in Sydney’s Newsletter”, to introduce various activities I engage in as Consul-General and to share some of my thoughts and feelings as I go about my duties. It is my hope that through these e-newsletters more people will learn about the multi-faceted connections between Australia and Japan.
The topic of this first newsletter is the Japanese community. Very soon after I assumed my post, representatives from the three major Japanese organisations in Sydney paid visits to my office and kindly invited me to a get-together with leading members of all three groups. On that occasion, I was able to learn much about the local Japanese community.
The Japan Club of Sydney (JCS) is mainly made up of Australian permanent residents of Japanese descent. JCS is the main organizer of the Matsuri- Japan Festival events, runs several Japanese language schools, undertakes charity work and organizes a number of different social clubs.
The Japanese Society of Sydney (JSS) is a society whose members mostly belong to Japanese businesses and organisations with offices in Sydney. JSS activities include supporting the running of Sydney Japanese International School, a range of social clubs, and cultural and recreational activities which promote exchange among members and with Australians.
The Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) consists of around 200 organisations based in Sydney. JCCI arranges lectures and seminars, organizes activities for different industries, and publishes the yearbook “The Outline of Australia” in Japanese. “The Outline of Australia” is a very useful publication, which gives a general overview of Australia together with the latest information.
I was delighted and impressed to see how well the three groups support each other and cooperate to jointly hold events as a united “All Japan” effort. In particular, I felt there is a strong synergy effect of collaboration between Japanese business people, who are at the front-line of business, and Japanese permanent residents, who have deep roots in the Sydney community.
A significant feature of Sydney is the large number of Japanese government organisations based in the city. In addition to the Consulate-General of Japan, there are Sydney offices of the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO), the Japan Foundation Sydney, the Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO), the Japan Local Government Centre (CLAIR Sydney), and the Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Cooperation (JOGMEC). These organisations do not just focus on Sydney; in their respective fields, they conduct activities throughout Australia. I have met representatives of each organization in Tokyo and Sydney, and I have agreed with them to promote mutual collaboration among our organisations here in Sydney. Already I have participated in a number of events, including Japan Foundation’s Retro Horror Manga exhibition.
Australia strongly follows policies to encourage multiculturalism, and Japanese people, including permanent residents, make significant contributions to Australia’s multicultural society. Moreover, with the growing number of foreigners living and visiting in Japan, I feel there is much that Japan can learn from Australia’s experience of multiculturalism. By supporting various activities of Japanese people in Sydney and areas under this consulate’s jurisdiction, I would like to help strengthen cooperative relations which are of mutual benefit to Australia and Japan.
Urasenke Sydney's 'Reiwa Spring Chakai' (13 October)
Photo: Irina Subkhanberdina
The Outline of Australia 2019-20
Retro Horror Manga Exhibition at the Japan Foundation, Sydney (17 October 2019)
Japan Club of Sydney
https://www.japanclubofsydney.org/english/
Japanese Society of Sydney Inc.
http://www.jssi.org.au/
Japan Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Sydney Inc.
http://www.jcci.org.au/english/e.htm
Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) Sydney
https://www.jetro.go.jp/australia/
The Japan Foundation, Sydney
https://jpf.org.au/
Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) Sydney Office
https://www.jnto.org.au/
Japan Local Government Centre (CLAIR Sydney)
http://www.jlgc.org.au/
Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Cooperation (JOGMEC) Sydney Office
http://www.jogmec.go.jp/english/about/about006.html