Public Diplomacy

Tokushima Prefecture was registered as a Host Town of Georgia for the Tokyo 2020 after hosting pre-training camps of the Georgian team for Rugby World Cup 2019. The heartwarming exchange between the players and local residents at that time led to the Host Town registration. As a Host Town of a Harmonious and Inclusive Society, Tokushima Prefecture has also promoted interactions with Georgian Paralympic athletes, for example, exchanges between Tokushima Commercial High School and Georgian women's wheelchair fencing athletes. Even after the Tokyo Games, the Prefecture tries to find the ways to establish a solid relationship with a municipality in Georgia working on the theme of the Harmonious and Inclusive Society.
In 2022, which marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Georgia, it is expected that the Host Town exchanges will develop more active by promoting collaborations in the field of rugby or with youth of the above-mentioned local High School, Shikoku University and the Georgian students learning Japanese at the Free University of Tbilisi.

“Japantown” in San Francisco plays an important role in promoting Japanese culture among the Japanese American community, as well as the various societies in the United States. The number of visitors to "Japan Center", a mall located in the center of “Japantown”, was getting to decreased due to the COVID-19. Today, although customers have been returning to this mall, the economic damage to the shops in “Japantown” still remains and we can see empty shops in the mall. The project “Japantenna” was set in motion in order to bring back a live atmosphere to “Japantown” which was in the critical situation at that time. The first “Japantenna” focused on Kagoshima Prefecture and used a vacant shop space in the Japan Center to hold an exhibitions introducing local products and tourism resources such as shochu, Japanese tea and handicrafts delivered from Kagoshima Prefecture. Around 6,000 people in total visited there. This event greatly contributed to raising awareness of Kagoshima’s original attractiveness in San Francisco.

Fukushima Prefecture held its　“Diplomats' Study Tour” in January 2022. This Study Tour was focused on looking back on the 10 years since The Great East Japan Earthquake and deepening the understanding of Fukushima's steady efforts and its progress toward the reconstruction. Mr. UESUGI Kentaro, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, joined in the site visit program at Fukushima Agricultural Technology Centre and asked to the participants for their continued understanding and cooperation to eliminate import restrictions and dispel harmful rumors. According to the participants’ impression, they said, "I would like to convey the lessons of the earthquake disaster and progress of reconstruction in Fukushima to my home country.", "I am glad to know that the daily life in most parts of Fukushima is almost back to normal. It embodies the vitality and the resilience of the people of Fukushima."

At the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, the curling competition especially gained momentum in Japan as the Japanese women's national curling team won the silver medal for the first time in its history. The success of athletes in curling competitions from Hokkaido on the world stage, including the occasions such as the Olympic Games and the World Championships, owed the curling exchange programs among Hokkaido, Heilongjiang Province in China, and Alberta Province in Canada within the framework of friendship states. The three regions, with similar weather and climate, have promoted exchanges in the fields such as curling, economics, culture, and education. In 2020, Hokkaido Prefecture and Alberta Province celebrated the 40th anniversary, while Hokkaido Prefecture and Heilongjiang Province celebrated in 2021 the 35th anniversary of their friendship, respectively. Further exchanges are expected in the future, including with other regions.

Kanagawa Prefecture has been promoting exchanges with Vietnam since 2013, when Kanagawa Governor Kuroiwa held talks with the Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan. In order to promote the exchange, various events have been held, including "Vietnam Festa in Kanagawa" in Yokohama City and "Kanagawa Festival in Hanoi" in Hanoi City, the capital of Vietnam. Even in fiscal year 2021, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, panel exhibition was held to introduce the history of exchanges between Kanagawa Prefecture and Vietnam, Vietnam's scenery, culture, food and so on. Thanks to this exhibition, Kanagawa Prefecture could deepen mutual understanding with Vietnam to develop their relationship and friendship. In last November, Governor Kuroiwa also met with Vietnam's Prime Minister H.E. Mr. PHAM Minh Chinh and Minister of Planning and Investment H.E. Mr. Nguyen Chi Dung. Kanagawa Prefecture will continue to work with the people of Vietnam so that they can have win-win relationship in various fields including business and commerce.

On January 26, 2022, Wakayama Prefecture and Sichuan Province in China signed the Agreement on the Establishment of Friendly Relations! The beginning of the exchange between two cities was giant pandas sent from Sichuan Province to Wakayama prefecture in 1994. Since then, both cities have been deepen their relationship even in the COVID-19 pandemic by using online tool. They will develop the bilateral exchanges collaborating on various issues such as youth, disaster prevention and mitigation, tourism, or education. We hope that their face-to-face exchanges will be realized after COVID, expecting that it comes in the near future.

'Kochi Family' across the ocean!
The tweet that gained the most attention this month was the one which introduced Kochi Prefecture's call for donations to support Tonga where an undersea volcano erupted in last January. The exchange between Kochi and Tonga deepened after a training camp prior to the Rugby World Cup in 2019 and it led to the registration of the Host Town for the Tokyo 2020 Games consequently. The fostering of ties of mutual support could be led to this Kochi Prefecture's quick call for the support for Tonga. 'Kochi family' slogan means "Kochi Prefecture is one big family". It is resonating glocally!