The Chief Minister, Rosemary Follett, hopes get the Japanese more interested in ACT high-tech, tourism and education products when she visits in October-November, according to ACT Government officials yesterday.
She will lead a mainly private-sector delegation of about 10 people from October 23 to November 5. Projects she hopes to help are the sale of ACT-developed software for teaching English as a second-language; educational and industry exchanges related to the Fujitsu super-computer at ANU; the Anutech SHRIMP which looks at rock strata; and a dozen or so other private-sector projects.
She will also have talks with five major tourism wholesalers with the aim of convincing the Japanese that Sydney is not the capital of Australia, but Canberra is and should be on the tourist map.
She will also cement various twinning relationships: Copeland College and Ainslie Primary are twinned to Japanese schools and the Canberra Chamber of Commerce is twinned with the Nara equivalent.
The officials said the delegation would give the ACT a presence at the Celebrate Australia promotion being launched in Tokyo on November 1. It will be the biggest promotion of Australia in Japan.
Officials are confirming meeting with chief of leading Japanese corporations and senior officials from the Ministry of Trade and Industry. It will be the first official overseas tour by a Chief Minister since self-government in 1989.