Mission & History of the Consulate-General of Japan, Sydney

The Consulate-General of Japan in Sydney has jurisdiction over the Northern Territory and New South Wales with its state capital Sydney, Australia's largest city. Our main mission is the protection of Japanese residents and Japanese tourists in these areas, as well as the collection of political and economic related information and organizing cultural activities.

The Consulate-General of Japan in Sydney has a very long history.

The first Japanese diplomatic mission in Australia was the Consulate established in Townsville, Queensland in 1896*, and the first consul was Mr Tsunejiro Nakagawa.

The following year, 1897, when a regular shipping service between Yokohama and Sydney commenced, a second Japanese Consulate in Australia was established in Sydney, and Mr Nakagawa was relocated to Sydney to become its first Consul.

In 1901, the Consulate in Sydney was upgraded to Consulate-General. This is the beginning of the history of the Consulate-General of Japan in Sydney.

* The Townsville Consulate was closed in 1908.