State of Queensland（クイーンズランド州・英語）

In April 1980 the Saitama Prefecture Assembly delegation to southeast asia and Oceania visited Queensland. This served as the beginning of a new relationship, and in October 1984, Saitama Prefecture and the State of Queensland signed a sister state agreement.

About Queensland

Queensland is located in northeastern Australia. Its Great Barrier Reef, the largest coral reef in the world, and resort destinations such as Cairns and the Gold Coast are famous around the globe. The major products in Queensland are sugar and beef. The Saitama Children’s Zoo in Higashimatsuyama feature koalas and kangaroos that were presented by Queensland as a symbol of the sister-state friendship.

Major exchange programs with Saitama Prefecture

- Exchange program for senior high school teachers (since 1986)

- Official visit to Australia (2005, 2014, 2019)

- Participation in the Saitama International Junior Football Tournament (2001 and 2008)

- Saitama donates to disaster relief funds for flood victims in Queensland (2011)

- Homestay exchange program for prefectural senior high school students (since 1995)

- Dispatch of scholarship students to universities and senior high schools in Queensland (2013)

- Acceptance of senior high school students from Queensland (since 2016)

- Conducted online seminars for participants from Queensland and Saitama (2021)

- Visit by distinguished guests including the Queensland Premier and the Governor-General to Saitama Prefecture

- Rugby teams Queensland Reds and Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights played a friendly international match at Kumagaya Rugby Stadium (2022)

- Visit by the Queensland Minister for Tourism, Innovation and Sport to Saitama Prefecture (2023)