タコマ市　記念式典

（6月24日　17：30〜）

 

 

 

In light of this anniversary of 50 years of sister-city relations, I would like to, on behalf of the people of Kitakyushu, thank Mayor Bill Baarsma, everyone here in attendance and indeed all the people of Tacoma for their friendship over these many years.

 

The sister-city system began in America and spread its idea of person-to-person exchange around the world.  Nations are sometimes at odds with each other and the realization of projects can take much time, but City-to-City relations like ours ?that is to say person-to-person exchange- allows us to deepen our understanding of each other as well as recognize our differences and carry out more actual exchange.

 

I understand that many people immigrated to America from Japan and settled in Tacoma during the beginning of the 20^th century contributing to the development of this area.  As Americans of Japanese ancestry, these people also contributed much to sister-city exchange ?a gift which will not be forgotten.

 

Amid this background, Tacoma and Kitakyushu have built up much person-to-person exchange over these past 50 years such as the friendly high school baseball exchange, an exchange student program between Kitakyushu Municipal High School and Stadium High School of which Mayor Baarsma is an alumnus, exchange between Kitakyushu Municipal University and Tacoma Community College and our sister-port relationship.

 

It is thanks to the many people that supported such exchange in the past as well as the people who are currently pouring all of their strength into exchange, acting as bridges between our two cities, that we can be here today.  I want to thank everyone for their passion and effort and to reiterate my responsibility as one person to help carry this exchange on into the future.

 

This marks the 50^th anniversary of our relations, but I would also like to think of today as the start of another 50 years.  I look forward to exchange through which our cities learn from each other, further deepening our friendship and in turn contributing to each city’s development, to relations between America and Japan and perhaps even to relations on the global scale.

 

Once again, I would like to thank Mayor Baarsma, my fellow guests here today and everyone who has been involved in exchange between our cities.