No.47 Friendship City Agreement with Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture and Nozawa Onsen Village, Nagano Prefecture

(Inagi Newsletter, October 15, 2015 issue)

In November 1991, the city established a sister city partnership with Memanbetsu Town in Hokkaido (now Ozora Town due to its merger with Higashimokoto Village). Starting with students from Elementary and Junior High Schools, the circle of exchange has expanded to agricultural organizations and cultural arts groups, and in November 1995, a mutual support agreement for disaster situations was concluded. In the event of a large-scale disaster, food support is expected from Ozora Town, which has a high self-sufficiency rate, and such exchanges have contributed to mutual safety and security.
Recently, with the increase in the city's population and diversification of businesses, exchanges with other organizations have also increased.
On August 18 of this year, a Friendship City agreement was concluded with Soma City in Fukushima Prefecture. Details were communicated in the September 1, 2015 issue of the public relations newsletter, but the support that began immediately after the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011 led to the conclusion of a mutual support agreement in June of the same year, and we are still dispatching staff engaged in recovery projects. We hope that this agreement will lead to exchanges through sports and culture.

By the way, the exchange with Nozawa Onsen Village in Nagano Prefecture began in November 2005 when an agreement was signed regarding "Gathering Inagi Kids! Nozawa Onsen School." This allowed the children of Inagi to experience being away from their parents for a certain period, and we have been conducting experiential learning activities every year, such as a moving classroom for sixth graders and a ski class for first-year junior high school students.
In July 2008, we signed a mutual support agreement for disaster situations, and there was an opportunity for the Mayor and the Fire Chief to participate in Inagi City's disaster prevention training.
Last year, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of experiential learning, at the request of the Mayor, we visited the children's camp site for the first time, and it was proposed to expand the exchange not only for the children but also for the general citizens, leading to the signing of a Friendship City agreement.
In June 2015, members of the Friendship City Partnership Citizens' Council, established in April of this year by Inagi citizens, visited the site and provided recommendations for future friendship. A signing ceremony for the Friendship City agreement with Nozawa Onsen Village is scheduled to take place in mid-next month.
In the Fourth Long-Term Comprehensive Plan of Inagi City, we have outlined policies in the basic concept to "promote exchange activities that transcend city boundaries, such as sister city and international exchange" and to "further activate exchanges and information exchange with related municipalities through sister city relationships and city events in the future."
We hope that the signing of these sister city and Friendship City agreements will contribute to mutual development. Moving forward, we would like to work towards exchanges with cities overseas.