Mayor Hiroshi Nakada to visit Shanghai, Taipei and Changwon

YOKOHAMA, JAPAN – Wednesday, October 22, 2008 – Hiroshi Nakada, the mayor of Yokohama, will visit Shanghai (China), Taipei (Taiwan) and Changwon (Korea) from Friday October 24 to Thursday October 30. It is the City’s intention to reinforce Yokohama’s relations with these cities and to further develop the City's international strategies, which are proving successful. Mayor Nakada will conduct activities such as signing the Shanghai-Yokohama friendship agreement and celebrating its 35th anniversary and meeting with Mr. Lung-Bin Hau, the mayor of Taipei, which is one of Yokohama’s partnership cities*1.

In Shanghai, the mayor will sign the Shanghai-Yokohama friendship agreement (to be renewed every five years) to further promote tourism, cultural and economic exchanges between the two cities, taking advantage of the 150th anniversary of the opening of the port of Yokohama in 2009 and the Shanghai World Expo in 2010. Yokohama and Shanghai have strong ties and their friendship dates back 35 years to 1973. The City of Yokohama has supported the remarkable development of Shanghai through technological offerings in terms of infrastructure including subways and ports, and through providing advice on environmental technologies including improvements to water and air quality, which have been presenting increasing challenges. In the meantime, a growing number of Shanghai-based companies have gained ground in Yokohama over the last three years. Both cities plan to further deepen their relations through signing the agreement.

In Taipei, Mayor Nakada will meet with Mayor Hau to introduce the ceremonial projects related to the 150th anniversary of the opening of the port of Yokohama, invite him to the ceremony. He will also discuss future partnership city activities with him, such as promoting business and tourism and human exchanges.

In Changwon, Mayor Nakada will attend the 24th Executive Committee Meeting of CITYNET*2, a regional organization of cities and groups in the Asia Pacific Region such as Mumbai (India), Bangkok (Thailand) and Seoul (Korea). As the current President City, the City of Yokohama has achieved results in various programs, including the transfer of technology regarding waste disposal management and waterworks to the Asian cities, and dissemination of environmental education through the activities of CITYNET. It is the intention of this Executive Committee Meeting to determine the future activity plans of CITYNET and approve new members for the further advancement of global intercity networks.

Aside from the country's foreign diplomacy, the City of Yokohama has been developing its own international strategy by enhancing and developing its partnership with foreign cities. For instance, last month the City joined C40 (The Large Cities Climate Leadership Group), an organization consisting of 55 global cities, such as London, New York and Beijing, committed to tackling climate change.

◆　Schedule of Mayor Nakada

【*1About Partnership cities】
　A partner city is established from an intercity partnership with a predetermined theme and timeframe based on "the policy of intercity exchange with foreign cities" set out by the City of Yokohama. It differs from a sister city, which represents an indefinite relationship in a wide range of fields, in that a partner city has clear objectives and more strategic elements. At present the City of Yokohama is allied with five partner cities for different policies of importance to the City, including business, tourism, culture, arts and the internationalization of Haneda Airport.

【*2About CITYNET (The Regional Network of Local Authorities for the Management of Human Settlements)】
　A non-profit international organization devotes to bring together cities and organizations in the Asia Pacific region in finding solutions to urban problems through mutual cooperation. Established in 1987, CITYNET currently maintains a membership of 70 cities and 42 organizations. The City of Yokohama acts as the president city and hosts the secretariat of CITYNET. The city plays a major role in various fields such as assisting Indonesia to recover the waterworks from Tsunami; promoting environmental education; affiliating with EUROCITIES, an association of European cities; and facilitating the development of CITYNET.