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 conduct the signing ceremony by traveling to the United States or 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, and was looking for potential partners led by Japanese-American city council member Mr. Okamoto. This discussion reached the consul at the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco. This consul was a staff member dispatched from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and had previously lived in Wakabadai. Based on his experience of seeing Foster City, a new town created by land reclamation, with its rich natural environment and a lifestyle that actively engages in education and sports, he felt a connection with Inagi City and introduced Mr. Okamoto, who showed great interest in the idea.
This story was conveyed to me, and thereafter, discussions began in both cities. I included the establishment of overseas Sister City partnerships as a campaign promise in the mayoral election in April 2015, and after being elected, I visited the site in August 2015 to confirm whether it was a suitable city for partnership. I was welcomed by Mr. Okamoto and many other citizens, and I confirmed that it was an excellent match.
In October 2015, after returning to Japan, the "Inagi City Overseas Sister City Partnership Examination Citizens' Meeting" was established, and in June 2016, the "Inagi City Overseas Sister City Examination Citizens' Meeting" was set up. Through the participation of many citizen members, lively discussions took place. In January 2017, representatives of the citizens' meeting conducted a site visit, and based on their report, it was concluded that Foster City is a suitable candidate city.

In the citizens' meeting, it was suggested that it is necessary to have an overseas Sister City as a place where citizens can have "wonderful dreams." It was proposed that we should partner with an overseas Sister City, with Foster City as the candidate location, and that it would be good to start exchange projects in the fields of education and sports. Furthermore, it was noted that there is a need to establish an organization led by citizens to facilitate exchanges with overseas Sister Cities and domestic Sister Cities and Friendship Cities.
Based on this proposal, the city established the "Preparation Committee for the Inagi City Sister City and Friendship City Exchange Association" in September 2017, 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, the "Inagi City Sister City Friendship Exchange Association Preparatory Committee" was established in July 2019, and the founding general meeting of the "Inagi City Sister City Friendship Exchange Association" was held on September 27, 2020, marking the launch of the exchange activities.
A long time has passed, but thanks to the participation of many citizens, the exchange association has been established, and we are deeply grateful that we were able to successfully reach the signing ceremony with Foster City. We would like to express our gratitude 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 our domestic Sister Cities and Friendship Cities, the children could interact freely with each other.

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 since 1958, creating a lagoon and innovating the waterside environment.
The area is 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.
This is a residential area in the Bay Area where employees of IT companies located from San Mateo County's southern region to northern Silicon Valley, as well as expatriates from Japanese companies, reside. It is also home to the headquarters of VISA and is known for its very good safety.
It is said that America's national sport is baseball, and I am surprised that baseball is also popular in Foster City, with many children's baseball fields of different 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 bedroom communities for major cities, but there are other commonalities that can be found between them.
Inagi City became a city from a town in 1971, and this year marks the 50th anniversary of city establishment. Foster City was also established as a city in 1971, making it a city of the same age as Inagi.
Foster City is the home of the MLB San Francisco Giants, and Inagi City is the hometown of the professional baseball Yomiuri Giants, making them both Giants Town.
It is a significant connection that the two cities, separated by the Pacific Ocean, have met with such commonalities, and we hope that a meaningful relationship will continue for both parties for a long time.