Sister City Chicago and Osaka Celebrates 50 Years of Prosperity
Mayor Johnson and Mayor Yokoyama Reaffirm the Relationship for the Future
The City of Chicago and the City of Osaka marked the 50th anniversary of their sister-city relationship and together celebrated their successful relationship on August 1st at the Preston Bradley Hall in the Chicago Cultural Center. A celebratory reception was hosted by the Osaka Committee of the Chicago Sister Cities International with many supporters and volunteers.
From the Chicago side, Chicago Mayor Brandon Jonson; Adrienne Tongate, Executive Director of the Chicago Sister Cities International; Hiroshi Tajima, Consul General of Japan in Chicago; Paul Ratzki, General Manager of the Sumitomo Electric Carbide; and Kimiyo Naka, Chair of the Osaka Committee spoke about the successful relationship between the two cities.
Osaka Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama and his delegation flew from Japan to celebrate the 50 years of sister-city relationship. The member of the delegation were; ippo Katayama, President of the Osaka City Council; three Osaka City Councilors, Yasutomo Okada, Hiroyuki Nagai, and Kazuhiko Maeda; Takayoshi Negoro, International division in the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry; and some members from the private sector who have worked for the development around the Midosuji and Umekita park area. One of the purposes of the Osaka delegation was to meet Chicago’s developers to learn how Chicago has cooperated with the public and private sectors to work together on the city’s urban planning.
The celebration was emceed by Chicago’s popular food reporter Steve Dolinsky who has been familiar with Japanese food.
According to Dolinsky, Chicago has 29 sister cities worldwide and has the largest and most active sister-city program in the U.S. He said more than 600 volunteers have committed to building relationships for sister-city programs, which included developments, cultural arts, global education, government relations, international businesses and more.
Dolinsky, who visited Osaka and experienced its food culture, said, “If you really want to eat, you got to go Osaka. It’s the city of Kuidaore, which means to eat until you drop,” and invited the audience to enjoy eating okonomiyaki, takoyaki, and yakitori after the mayors and guests’ speech.
Consul General Hiroshi Tajima
Consul General Hiroshi Tajima Congratulated the remarkable 50th anniversary of the Osaka-Chicago sister-city relationship and expressed his heartfelt appreciation to Mayor Yokoyakma, Mayor Johnson, the Chicago Sister Cities International, and all the sponsors and volunteers for their unwavering support in fostering the significant partnership between the two cities.
Consul General Tajima said he has witnessed many commonalities between the City of Osaka and Chicago over two years of his tenure, “Both Osaka and Chicago share a rich history, prosperity, and vibrant culture encompassing arts, sports, and, of course, delectable cuisine.”
He said that another important commonality between the two cities was a shared commitment to education, “Investing in the younger generation and securing a brighter future are paramount. With such a wealth of young talent in both cities, I am confident that the strong and friendly ties between Osaka and Chicago will continue to flourish in the years to come.”
Chicago Mayor
Brandon Johnson
Mayor Brandon Johnson welcomed Mayor Yokoyama and his delegation and said, “Tonight we honor the 50th anniversary of the sister-city partnership between Chicago and Osaka.
The relationship between our two cities is one of the strongest sister cities that we have all over the world.”
Mayor Johnson applauded the Osaka Committee of the Chicago Sister Cities International to share friendship and cooperation with Chicago since 1973 and the two cities have been at the helm of the long-standing relationship. “We’ve been enjoying ongoing business and innovative exchanges, cultural exchanges, education ties, business ties, and even mayoral exchanges,” he said.
Regarding Japan, he continued to say, “Japan’s impacts on Chicago can be felt culturally, economically, and personally. The economies of the Chicagoland region and Japan continue to have so much growth potential, being global leaders in technology, innovation, and manufacturing.”
About the future relationship between the two cities, Mayor Johnson said, “Our two cities continue to have so much to learn from one another. Together we’ll nurture a mutually beneficial relationship that is part of technology and innovation across the globe, and we must maintain our status as global economic engines.”
So the Mayor said, “We will address to share challenges, create the best practices for the exchanges between our two cities. I look forward to Chicago’s upcoming business delegation to Japan led by the World Business Chicago that is what we further strengthen our relationship and continue to learn from one another.”
Osaka Mayor
Hideyuki Yokoyama
Osaka Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama thanked all the people who made arrangements to celebrate the 50th anniversary between the City of Chicago and Osaka.
Since the sister-city-affiliation was signed on November 9, 1973, Mayor Yokoyama said, “Both cities have meaningful exchanges in various fields such as business, culture, and social welfare,” and mentioned some examples such as sport exchanges between Chicago and Osaka marathon, establishment of the sister-city-streets between Chicago’s Magnificent Mile and Osaka’s Midosuji Boulevard, and the online Chicago-Osaka Innovation Summit which was held during the COVID-19 pandemic. “All these events definitely deepened the bond of friendship between Chicago and Osaka,” Mayor Yokoyama said.
And then he stated, “Now we have made the 50 years of sister-city relation. On this occasion of signing the declaration to reaffirm the sister-city ties, I hope it can accelerate even greater exchanges moving forward.” He also said that Osaka engaged in realizing a vision of becoming a global financial city, “On this visit, I was able to meet the members of Chicago’s business community and will promote the high business potential of Osaka through the interactions with them.”
Looking ahead to 2025, Mayor Yokoyama invited the audience to visit the World Expo Osaka 2025. Under the theme of “Designing Future Society for Our Lives,” the Expo Osaka will bring a broad vision of health and become the people’s living land that interacts with advanced technologies which can lead to resolving common challenges of humankind.
Kimiyo Naka (L) and Yoko Noge
Kimiyo Naka, Chair of the Osaka Committee of the Chicago Sister Cities International, expressed her gratitude to all the public offices, agencies, corporations, organizations, and many volunteers to cooperate to host the ceremony to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Chicago-Osaka sister-city relationship.
On behalf of the Osaka Committee, Naka presented a Lifetime Achievement Award to Yoko Noge who chaired the Osaka Committee for several decades as a volunteer.
On the stage, Mayor Johnson and Mayor Yokoyama signed the Reaffirmation of the Chicago-Osaka Sister Cities Agreement, and Ippo Katayama, President of the Osaka City Council, made a toast for deeper relationships and exchanges between the two cities.
Following the kampai, all the participants enjoyed food and beverages from Osaka and Chicago followed by music performances played by Yoko Noge & The Jazz Me Blues Band.
Reaffirmation of Chicago-Osaka Sister Cities Agreement
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (L) and Osaka Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama sign the Reaffirmation of Chicago-Osaka Sister Cities Agreement on August 1st, 2023.
The purpose of the reaffirmation of Chicago-Osaka Sister Cities Agreement is to uphold the shared aspiration between the City of Chicago and Osaka to work harmoniously for the mutual benefit of their cities and countries on the occasion of the 50th-anniversary celebration.
The City of Chicago and Osaka will work together upon their strong sister-city relationship to learn from each other and address shared challenges through municipal best practice exchanges and strategic partnerships with relevant organizations, especially, in the four pillar areas:
1. Promoting business and innovation exchanges
2. Supporting collaborative efforts and exchanges in the areas of arts and culture, education,
sport, and tourism
3. Supporting infrastructures such as parks and streets, including the ‘Sister Street’ partnership between Chicago’s Magnificent Mile and Osaka’s Midosuji Boulevard
4. Promoting Social services exchanges
Interview with Mayor Yokoyama
Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama was born in May, 1981 in Kagawa Prefecture. After graduated from the Kwansei Gakuin University, School of Economics, he entered the Osaka Prefectural Government in 2004.
In 2011, he ran for the Osaka Prefectural Assembly as an endorsed candidate from the Osaka Restoration Association and won the race. Afterward, he was re-elected for three consecutive terms.
In 2022, he decided to run for Osaka mayoral election and applied for an endorsement from the Osaka Restoration Association. He won a primary and was elected as the 22nd Osaka Mayor in April, 2023.
Q: Is this the first visit to Chicago? How do you like the City?
Yokoyama: Yes, it’s the first time, but I feel an affinity for Chicago. First I can see rivers that are common in Osaka, I can sense the vibrant economy and flourishing arts and culture, and there are a lot of tourists on the streets.
And then, people in Chicago are very welcoming, warm and friendly, and the food is delicious. I feel like I’m at home in Osaka. Especially this time, we celebrate our 50 years of sister-city relationship, so I would like to make the best of the best 50th anniversary.
Q: The Osaka-Kansai Japan Expo is coming in less than two years. What can we expect to see in the Expo?
Yokoyama: Osaka is aiming to bring state-of-the-art technologies about regenerative tissue engineering to the Expo. You can also enjoy a variety of cultures and food from around the world, so please come to the Expo in Osaka to explore your curiosity.
Q: Recent news has reported that participating countries in the Expo have not started to build their pavilion. Could you tell us about it?
Yokoyama: Now some issues have emerged in the building market in Japan. Those issues are steep price hikes for building materials and labor shortages, and we have been informing overseas participants about the issues. We are a little behind, but moving forward to open the Expo in April, 2025.
Q: I heard that the Osaka City government and Osaka Prefectural government have been working to grow as a whole economic zone. Is there any resistance from local city governments such as local specialties or identity?
Yokoyama: So many local governments have welcomed the idea of that. In the modern era, the City of Osaka has been growing very well, so it is a better idea to grow together with the local governments as a whole. The local features and uniqueness are not the problem because those differences are plus factors to encourage them to compete against each other.
Q: Thank you very much.
Exchanges between the Osaka Delegation and Chicago
Mayor Yokoyama and his delegation, from both public and private sectors, arrived in Chicago on July 30 and returned to Osaka on August 4. During their stay in Chicago, they visited 1871, an incubation center, to attend FinTech Seminar, business roundtable discussions with the members from American corporations, and held presentations about Osaka. They also attended an opinion exchange meeting hosted by Consul General Tajima.
The delegation visited the Magnificent Mile, their sister street, made a courtesy call to Chicago Mayor Johnson, planted commemorative pine trees in Osaka Garden in Jackson Park, and Wrigley Field, Mayor Yokoyama’s big responsibility to through a strike ball at the first-pitch ceremony.
An article on pine tree planting is written by Robert W. Karr, Jr., President of the Chicago Shimpo. Please visit the link below to learn about the meaning of pine trees, the history of the Phoenix Garden, and the creation and purpose of the sister-city relationship in the U.S. and the world.
https://www.gardenofthephoenix.org/news/20230802-gotp-osaka-chicago-50th-anniversary-planting
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FYI
Restaurants and corporations who served food and beverages at the 50th Anniversary reception:
・M Square (sushi)
・TenGoku Aburiya (karaage)
・Gaijin (okonomiyaki)
・Remington's (mini burgers)
・Suntory (highball)
・Daimon Road to Osaka (nigori sake)
・Daimon Shizuka (junmai ginjo shu)
・SAKE-SAN Junmai Ginjo (Chicago and Osaka was the theme of the sake which was created by Chicago’s restaurant group “Lettuce Entertain You”)
Yoko Noge & The Jazz Me Blues Band