Public Diplomacy

It may be fresh in your memory that Yamaguchi City was featured in the New York Times' list of 52 Places to Go in 2024. In February, at the reception celebrating the birthday of His Majesty the Emperor held at the residence of the Consulate-General of Japan in Miami, the PR activity was carried out to promote the attractions of the prefecture and the city. This article informs you about the details of the reception.

Do you know that penguins, one of the familiar animals in Japan, are one of the bridges between Japan and Argentina? The aquarium in Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture, which breeds approximately 130 Magellanic penguins, the largest number in Japan, exhibits them in the environment that recreates their habitat, based on the exchanges with the Chubut Province of Argentina. In March 2024, Ambassador Yamauchi to Argentina visited Joetsu City and heard from the mayor of Joetsu City about the current status and challenges of the exchange.

After the Great East Japan Earthquake, Onagawa Town, Miyagi Prefecture has been promoting the construction of a "MASKAR" frozen and refrigerated facility for marine products and a project to integrate elementary and junior high schools by partially utilizing reconstruction assistance from the Government of Qatar. Ambassador Maeda to Qatar visited Onagawa Town to see these facilities, and also visited Tohoku University, which had also received assistance from Qatar.

Nishinoomote City in Kagoshima Prefecture and Vila do Bispo in Portugal celebrated the 30th anniversary of the sister city relationship in 2023. Ambassador Ota to Portugal visited to Nishinoomote City in March 2024 and exchanged views with the Mayor of Nishinoomote City and city officials on future initiatives to promote exchanges between the two cities. This article introduces the exchanges between Japan and Portugal that have continued for more than 480 years since the introduction of guns.

Nagoya City has been operating the "Nagoya Digital Tourist Map" since October 2023. The biggest feature of this map is that it is equipped with an AI recommendation function, which suggests recommended sightseeing spots and model courses based on user attributes, interests, concerns, free time, etc. In addition to Japanese, it is available in six languages (English, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Thai, and Vietnamese), which has led to increased convenience for foreign tourists visiting Nagoya.