At a Glance

• The Campbelltown Koshigaya relationship reflects four decades of civic friendship and mutual respect
• Sister City ties are strengthened most deeply through direct human connection
• Shared landmarks, exchanges, and acts of hospitality give lasting meaning to international relationships
• Enduring local partnerships can support cultural understanding, education, and resilience across generations

The Enduring Importance of Civic Friendship

I have always believed that the most meaningful relationships between cities are not sustained by protocol alone. They are sustained by trust, memory, and the repeated choice to invest in one another across time. That is why our recent visit to Koshigaya carried such significance for me. It was not simply a formal visit. It was a moment of reflection on what four decades of friendship between Campbelltown and Koshigaya have come to mean.

In reflecting on that period, I am reminded that the strength of any Sister City relationship lies in its ability to move beyond symbolism and become part of the civic life of both communities. Over forty years, this partnership has done exactly that. It has created opportunities for exchange, encouraged cultural understanding, and built a sense of familiarity and goodwill that cannot be manufactured quickly or superficially.

Our welcome in Koshigaya was generous, thoughtful, and deeply moving. I remain grateful to Mayor Fukuda, Chairperson Shimada, Deputy Mayor Aoyama, and all those who extended such kind hospitality to us throughout our visit. Their care in shaping a rich and varied program spoke not only to their professionalism, but to the sincerity of the relationship itself.

Why Face to Face Connection Still Matters

Much is said in modern public life about international engagement, partnerships, and cooperation. Yet I have long held the view that lasting relationships between places are built most effectively face to face. Direct encounter has a value that cannot be replaced. It creates familiarity, trust, and the kind of mutual understanding that sustains institutions through changing times.

That is one of the reasons the Campbelltown Koshigaya relationship has endured so well. It has never been merely ceremonial. It has been built through visits, exchanges, conversations, and the steady accumulation of shared experience. In this way, friendship between cities becomes real. It gains a human dimension.

I noted in the Minute that “Face to face connections have been crucial in strengthening our relationship over the past 40 years.” That remains, in my view, one of the central truths of this partnership. Civic diplomacy is at its best when it is grounded in personal respect and lived exchange rather than abstract intention.

“Our relationship has been built on a foundation of mutual understanding, goodwill, and genuine care and hospitality.”

The Meaning of Shared Places

What was especially striking to me during our visit was the pride Koshigaya takes in its relationship with Campbelltown. That pride is not hidden away in official statements. It is expressed through place. The visit to Campbelltown Park and the planting of a cherry blossom tree were particularly meaningful. Such gestures matter because they locate friendship in the daily life of a city. They allow residents to encounter the relationship not as an idea, but as something visible and lasting.

We know this well in Campbelltown. Koshigaya Park and our Japanese Garden have long stood as expressions of our respect for this relationship and for the cultural heritage it represents. They are valued public spaces, but more than that, they are reminders that civic friendship can be made tangible in the landscape of a city.

I have always believed that place carries memory. When a community chooses to honour an international friendship through its parks, gardens, and public spaces, it demonstrates that the relationship has become part of its identity. That is a powerful thing.

Exchange as a Form of Civic Learning

The visit also highlighted the broader value of exchange. Our Sister City relationship has opened pathways in education, culture, tourism, business, and sport. These exchanges do not simply create goodwill in the moment. They broaden perspective and strengthen the capacity of each city to understand the other with greater depth and maturity.

I was particularly moved by the visit to the Campbelltown Forest of Wild Birds, where staff share knowledge about Campbelltown through native Australian animals and plants. It was a reminder that exchange is not one directional. It is reciprocal. Each city becomes, in some measure, a custodian of the other’s story.

That sense of care was also evident in the exhibition marking forty years of memories and gifts, and in the acknowledgement we received at the Australian Embassy in Tokyo. These moments affirmed something important. Relationships such as ours do not exist in isolation. They contribute quietly but meaningfully to broader ties between nations, communities, and institutions.

Resilience, Continuity, and the Long View

One of the deepest strengths of the Campbelltown Koshigaya relationship is that it has endured not only through celebrations, but through hardship. Over forty years, both cities have supported one another through natural disasters, public emergencies, and periods of uncertainty. That continuity matters. It reveals that the relationship is founded on more than convenience. It is grounded in genuine regard.

I am reminded that stewardship of such a partnership requires patience and constancy. The most successful civic relationships are those that survive changes in leadership and remain anchored in community support. That, in my view, is one of the reasons this partnership stands among the longest and most successful Sister City relationships in Australia.

Reflection

As Mayor of Campbelltown, I felt deeply privileged to visit Koshigaya during this important anniversary year. The experience confirmed for me that strong relationships between cities enrich public life in ways that statistics alone can never capture. They deepen understanding, honour shared history, and create opportunities for future generations to see the world with greater openness and respect. I remain confident that the bond between Campbelltown and Koshigaya will continue to flourish because it rests on the strongest possible foundation: genuine friendship.

Read the original Mayoral Minute here: A Memorable Visit to Koshigaya