2016 Alberta/Japan Twinned Municipalities AGM

Consulate-General Tanabe and Mrs. Tanabe attended the Annual General Meeting of the Alberta-Japan Twinned Municipality Association (A/JTMA) on the 17th and 18th of June. Not only the province of Alberta and Hokkaido are twinned, but there are also as many as 13 member municipalities that are within Alberta twinned with cities/towns in Japan.

-Town of Hanna-Town of Wake, Okayama (since 1993)
-Town of Barrhead-City of Kitami, Hokkaido (1991)
-City of Camrose-Town of Kamifurano, Hokkaido (1985)
-Town of Canmore-Town of Higashikawa, Hokaido (1989)
-City of Jasper-City of Hakone, Kanagawa (1972)
-City of Lacombe- Town of Rikubetsu (1986)
-City of Lethbridge-Town of Haebaru, Okinawa (2003)/ City of Towada, Aomori (2002)
-Town of Rocky Mountain House-Town of Kamikawa, Hokkaido (1984)
-Town of Stony Plain-Town of Shikaoi, Hokkaido (1985)
-Town of Taber- City of Higashioumi, Shiga (1981)
-City of Wetaskiwin-Town of Ashoro, Hokkaido (1990)
-Town of Whitecourt-Town of Yubetsu, Hokkaido (1998)

These municipalities have been maintaining strong ties through activities such as sending delegations to their counterpart or exchanging language teachers. Consulate-General Tanabe expressed gratitude and appreciation for all the effort made to maintain those ties and emphasized the importance of the grass-roots exchange in furthering the bilateral relationship between Japan and Canada.