Mayor Eric Garcetti today signed a proclamation celebrating Los Angeles’ sister city relationship with Nagoya, Japan to strengthen the bond between the two cities. He was joined by Tom Gilmore, chair of Sister Cities of Los Angeles. Nagoya is Los Angeles’ first sister city and sister port city, dating back to 1959.
“Working together as sister cities, Los Angeles and Nagoya can show the world that we have the power to make sustainable and inclusive progress on everything from trade and tourism to transportation and technology,” said Garcetti. “Through this renewed partnership, I know that our two cities will continue to lead on confronting the climate crisis, improving resilience against natural disasters and building a future of inclusivity and prosperity for everyone who calls our cities home.”
The proclamation follows a successful tourism event yesterday welcoming Japanese visitors back to Los Angeles. Tourism is one of the largest sectors of the LA economy, supporting over a half million jobs for the region. Following the event, All Nippon Airways (ANA) announced an increase to five days a week in direct flights between Tokyo and Los Angeles.
Garcetti and Executive Director of the Port of Los Angeles Gene Seroka met with the ports of Nagoya, Yokohama and Tokyo to collaborate on digitalization, supply chain efficiency and sustainable port operations.
Garcetti also encouraged further collaboration under the Quad Green Shipping Network, an initiative launched by the leaders of the United States, Australia, India and Japan to green and decarbonize the shipping chain and establish green shipping corridors by 2030 between ports in the network.
Earlier this week, Garcetti met with Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike to discuss sustainable infrastructure, gender equity and our ongoing collaboration as Olympic and Paralympic host cities. Following the meeting, Garcetti announced plans for a member of Gov. Koike’s team to be seconded to Los Angeles to help with planning and preparation for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic games in Los Angeles.
The announcement builds on a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the City of Los Angeles during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games to collaborate on shared priorities ahead of the games in Los Angeles.