No.115 Sister City Agreement Signing Ceremony with Foster City

The city has decided to conclude its first overseas Sister City partnership on July 27, 2021. The partner is a city named "Foster City" located in San Mateo County, California, United States.
Normally, we would hold a ceremony for the signing either by traveling to the United States or by having the other party visit Japan, but due to the ongoing impact of COVID-19, we are planning to hold the signing ceremony using a web conferencing system this time.

Progress So Far
This discussion dates back to 7 years ago in 2014. At that time, Foster City was seeking to establish sister city partnerships with overseas cities, led by Japanese-American city council member Mr. Okamoto, who was searching for potential partners. This discussion reached the Consul at the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco. The consul, who was dispatched from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, had previously lived in Wakabadai. He felt a connection between Foster City, a new town built on reclaimed land, and Inagi City, based on his experiences of the city's rich natural environment and its commitment to education and sports, and introduced Mr. Okamoto, who showed great interest.
This discussion was also conveyed to me, and thereafter, considerations began in both cities. I included the overseas sister city partnership in my campaign promises during the mayoral election in April 2015, and after being elected, I visited the area in August 2015 to confirm whether it was a suitable city for partnership. I was welcomed by Mr. Okamoto and many citizens, and I confirmed that it was indeed an excellent match.
In October 2015, after returning to Japan, I established the "Inagi City Overseas Sister City Partnership Study Citizens' Meeting," and in June 2016, the "Inagi City Overseas Sister City Study Citizens' Meeting," where many citizen members participated in lively discussions. In January 2017, representatives of the citizens' meeting conducted a site visit, and based on their report, we reached the conclusion that Foster City is a suitable candidate for partnership.

At the citizens' meeting, it was suggested that having overseas Sister Cities is necessary for citizens to have a "wonderful place to hold dreams," and that we should partner with overseas Sister Cities, with Foster City as a candidate. It was also proposed that starting exchange projects in the fields of education and sports would be beneficial. Furthermore, it was noted that there is a need to establish a citizen-led organization responsible for exchanges with overseas Sister Cities and domestic Sister Cities and Friendship Cities.
Based on this proposal, in September 2017, the "Inagi City Sister City and Friendship City Exchange Association Preparatory Committee" was established, and in March 2019, we received a proposal regarding the purpose, role, stakeholders, and organizational structure of the exchange association.
In response to this proposal, in July 2019, the "Inagi City Sister City and Friendship City Exchange Association Management Preparatory Committee" was established, and on September 27, 2020, the inaugural general meeting of the "Inagi City Sister City and Friendship City Exchange Association" was held, marking the launch of the exchange projects.
A long time has passed, but thanks to the participation of many citizens, the exchange association has been established, and we have successfully reached the signing ceremony with Foster City. I am deeply grateful to everyone who has been involved during this time.
Before holding this signing ceremony, some junior high schools have already conducted online meetings using a web conferencing system. It would be great if, like with domestic Sister Cities and Friendship Cities, children could interact freely and comfortably.

Introduction to Foster City
This city is located about 25 minutes by car south of San Francisco International Airport and faces San Francisco Bay. It was established on April 27, 1971, as a beautiful waterfront new town developed by reclaiming the bay and creating lagoons since 1958, while ingeniously enhancing the waterfront environment.
The area covers approximately 9.7 square kilometers of land and about 41.7 square kilometers of water, with a population of 30,567 according to the 2010 census. The residents consist of 45.5% White, 45.0% Asian, 1.9% African American, and others.
It is a residential area in the Bay Area where employees of IT companies located from southern San Mateo County to northern Silicon Valley, including ORACLE, and expatriates from Japanese companies reside. It is also home to the headquarters of VISA and is known for its very good public safety.
While baseball is said to be America's national pastime, it is also popular in Foster City, and you will be surprised to find many children's baseball fields of varying sizes according to age groups.

Connection between Inagi City and Foster City
Inagi City and Foster City are both new towns that serve as suburban bed towns for major cities, but they also share other commonalities.
Inagi City became a city in 1971, marking its 50th anniversary this year, while Foster City was established as a city in 1971 as well, making it a city of the same age.
Foster City is home to the MLB San Francisco Giants, and Inagi City is the hometown of the professional baseball Yomiuri Giants, making them both Giants towns.
The fact that these two cities, separated by the Pacific Ocean, have met with such commonalities is a sign of some connection, and we hope that the meaningful relationship between both will continue for a long time.