Sister Cities and Friendship City of Hakodate [函館市の姉妹・友好交流都市]

Hakodate has five Sister Cities and a Friendship City overseas and has promoted mutual visits and exchanges in the areas of education, culture, sports and economy with each of them.

 

Halifax, Canada (from 1982)

In response to a growing voice among citizens requiring a Sister City abroad, Hakodate affiliated with Halifax, Nova Scotia on November 25, 1982. Halifax has Halifax Citadel comparable to Hakodate’s special historic site Goryokaku and shares other similar characteristics. 

Affiliated at the time of the 60th anniversary of city of Hakodate, the cities have actively promoted programs such as mutual visits by administrative, business and civic delegations, language study program for high school students, college and library exchanges, co-hosting of International Star-Shaped Citadel Cities Summit, cooperation in the Hakodate Christmas Fantasy, and so on.

Halifax Facts:

Population: 431,701  (2017, Statistics Canada)

Location: at latitude 44°39′ North and longitude 63°36′ West (on the Atlantic Coast of Canada) 

Time Difference: 13 hours behind Japan time (12 hrs in summertime)

Industry: shipbuilding, machinery, petroleum refinery, fishery processing, brewing, biotechnology 

Related Links:

・Halifax(English)

・Hakodate Halifax（Japanese）

 

Vladivostok, Russian Federation (from 1992)

Based on history of shared experiences and the active campaign driven by friendship organizations, the affiliation with Vladivostok, a capital of Primorsky Region was signed at the time of the 70th anniversary of the Hakodate city administration. 

The opening of the Hakodate branch of the Far Eastern State University was followed by the programs such as mutual visits by administrative, business and civic delegations. Exchange programs for city workers, medical technicians, economic researchers and youths also took place. Other programs in the areas of education, culture and sports have also been promoted.

Vladivostok Facts:

Population: 638,000 (2017 from HP of Japan-Russia Coastal Cities Mayors Conference)

Location: at latitude 43°05′ North and longitude 131°55′ East

Time Difference: 1 hours ahead of Japan time

Industry: fishery, mining, lumber processing

関連リンク

・General Consulate of Japan in Vladivostok（Japanese & Russian）

・Japan Center, Vladivostok（Russian）

Lake Macquarie, Australia (from 1992)

With an initiative taken by private organizations engaging in educational and sport exchanges, Hakodate affiliated with Lake Macquarie, New South Wales, as part of the celebration of the 70th anniversary of Hakodate as a city. Our joint activities include mutual visits by administrative, economic and civic delegations, youth and language teacher exchanges, mutual dispatching of athletes to the half-marathon events and other exchanges by sports organizations.

Lake Macquarie Facts:

Population: 203,823 (2017, Australian Bureau of Statistics)

Location: at latitude 32°92′ South and longitude 151°80′ East

Time Difference: 1 hour ahead of Japan time (2 hrs in summertime)

Industry: mining (coal), agriculture, electric power generating

Related Link:

・Lake Macquarie（English）

 

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russian Federation (from 1997)

Our friendly relations started with the opening of the regular air service between Hakodate and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in April 1994. Since the affiliation, a variety of programs such as dispatching of citizens’ delegations and members of business circles, mutual visits and home-stays of school children, mutual visits by city orchestras and disability groups have been actively promoted.

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Facts:

Population: 206,140 (2018 from HP of Japan-Russia Coastal City Mayors’ Conference)

Location: at latitude 45°55′ North and longitude 142°45′ East

Time Difference: 2 hours ahead of Japan time

Industry: mining (natural gas, oil, coal), fishery, fishery processing, forestry, paper manufacture

Related Links:

・Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk（Russian）

・General Consulate of Japan in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk（Japanese & Russian）

 

Tianjin, People’s Republic of China (Friendship City from 2001)

Many Hakodate citizens have visited Tianjin since the first chartered plane flew to Tianjin in 1995. The programs such as school and hospital affiliations are some of the exchanges that have grown out of the campaign aiming at the opening of the regular air service between the two cities, which eventually led to the Friendship-City affiliation. Administrative and educational exchanges have also taken place.

Tianjin Facts:

Population: 15,621,200 (2016, city HP)

Location: at latitude 39°09′ North and longitude 117°11′ East

Time Difference: 1 hour behind Japan time

Industry: machinery, electronics, metallurgy, chemical technology, carpeting

Related Link:

・City of Tianjin（Chinese） 

 

*Friendship Cities: Friendship City affiliation is an agreement Chinese municipalities conclude with other overseas equivalents for friendly exchanges. This does not require permission from the PRC government and is different from the other type of agreement which requires such permission. Hakodate regards its Friendship City as equal to its other Sister Cities.

 

Goyang, South Korea (from 2011)

Hakodate delegation first visited Goyang in 2009 to promote tourism. Following the initial and the subsequent mutual visits, the Sister-City affiliation was concluded with Goyang, a city with an easy access to Seoul and Incheon International Airport that has a regular air service connected with Hakodate. Future active exchanges in the areas of business, education, culture and sports are expected.

Goyang Facts:

Population: 1,043,426 (2019, city HP)

Location: at latitude 37°39′ North and longitude 126°50′ East

Time Difference: none

Industry: international conventions, broadcasting imaging, woodwork craft, flowers and ornamental plants cultivation

Relate Links:

・Goyang（Japanese）

・Goyang（English）