Japan-US Sister Cities and States Relationships in the DMV area
Maryland
Maryland state and Kanagawa prefecture
Established in 1980
For more than 45 years Kanagawa and Maryland have maintained close ties through educational and cultural exchange, as well as close economic partnerships. Since the signing of the original Agreement of Friendship, delegations from both sides have conducted multiple official visits. In April 2025 Kanagawa and Maryland signed a renewed memorandum of understanding focused on mutual economic growth opportunities.
City of Baltimore and Kawasaki (Kanagawa prefecture)
Established in 1979
The mayors of the two cities formalized the sister city relationship in 1979. The City of Kawasaki gifted the City of Baltimore the Yuai (友愛) or “friendship” lantern to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the Sister City relationship. For more than 35 years the two cities have worked to strengthen the connections between youth in Japan and youth in the US by hosting a scout exchange program in the summer.
"Yuai (Friendship)" Stone Lantern at Inner Harbor
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Hanami at Fort McHenry National Park
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Coast Guard training vessel Kojima's visit to Baltimore
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Virginia
City of Newport News and Neyagawa (Osaka prefecture)
Established in 1982
In 1981, representatives from the City of Neyagawa visited the city of Newport News as part of a trip to inspect waste disposal facilities across the U.S. The partnership between the two cities was made official the following year, and they have been providing exchange opportunities for city officials, business leaders and students ever since.
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City of Norfolk and Kitakyushu (Fukuoka prefecture)
Established in 1959
In June of 1959, the Mayor of Norfolk sent a letter to Moji City (now the City of Kitakyushu) expressing his desire for an official sister city relationship, and on July 14 of the same year, the Moji City Council approved the partnership. The two cities now host a variety of cultural and educational exchange programs. In 2019, the celebration of their 60th anniversary included a rededication ceremony and student-led student performances.
School visit
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Performance by the students of The Governor's School For The Arts
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Moji Gakuen students join on the stage
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City of Richmond and Saitama (Saitama prefecture)
Established in 1994
The city of Richmond and the City of Saitama are both capital cities and in metropolitan areas. The two cities have hosted a various exchange programs for students and teachers. They also started a Little League baseball exchange program that has been growing the connections between youth baseball players, coaches, and families from Saitama and Richmond for over 30 years.
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City of Virginia Beach and Miyazaki (Miyazaki prefecture)
Established in 1992
This relationship was adopted by both City Councils and chartered by Sister Cities International on May 25, 1992. In commemoration of their 5th Anniversary, the Miyazaki Garden, a traditional Japanese garden, was dedicated at Red Wing Park in Virginia Beach. In turn, Miyazaki City dedicated four blocks of their downtown area to create the “Virginia Beach Square” which included a thirty-foot replica of the Cape Henry lighthouse and a park for their citizens.
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