International Sister / Friendship Cities and Cities with Official Agreements - Sendai International halfmarathon Official Web site

INTERNATIONAL SISTER / FRIENDSHIP CITIES AND CITIES WITH OFFICIAL AGREEMENTS
The city of Sendai is actively involved in a broad range of city-to-city exchange programs with a number of sister and friendship cities from around the world--Riverside (United States), Rennes (France), Minsk (Belarus), Acapulco (Mexico), Changchun (PRC), Dallas (United States), and Gwangju (South Korea)--as well as with cities with official agreements--Oulu (Finland) and Tainan (Taiwan).

	Riverside California, U.S.A Date of affiliation: March 9, 1957
	Riverside is the seat of Riverside county, which is located in the center of southern California. Thanks to its warm climate, the city is famous throughout the United States as a resort destination. Tourism and orange cultivation constitute its primary economic activities. It is home to approximately 290,000 people.

	Rennes, France Date of affiliation: September 6, 1967
	As the capital of Brittany, Rennes is its political, economic, and cultural center. With geographical features and a climate similar to that of the Tohoku region, it has long flourished as an agricultural area. At the same time, a growing high-tech industrial profile in recent years has also become a notable feature of the local economy. Rennes has a population of approximately 210,000 people.

	Minsk, Belarus Date of affiliation: April 6, 1973
	As the capital city of the Republic of Belarus, Minsk is the country’s political, cultural, and economic center. The city is famous for the production of automobiles, tractors, and other motorized vehicles. Numerous academic and cultural institutions, including the Science Academy, theaters, museums, and libraries, are situated here. Minsk is home to approximately 1,730,000 residents.

	Acapulco, Mexico Date of affiliation: October 23, 1973
	On orders of Lord Date Masamune, Hasekura Tsunenaga led a Japanese delegation to Europe in the Keicho era by first crossing the Pacific Ocean and landing at Acapulco in the New World. Acapulco is today a thriving international tourism and resort city known for its beautiful sandy beaches and colorful coastline. Acapulco has a population of approximately 720,000 people.

	Changchun, China Date of affiliation: October 27, 1980
	Situated virtually in the precise center of the northeast region of China, Changchun is the capital of Jilin Province and the political, economic, cultural, and transportation hub of this region. The city has grown considerably as an industrial and cultural town and is especially famous as the home of the Changchun First Automobile Factory. Changchun is home to a total population of 7,240,000 people (with an urban population of approximately 3,150,000 people).

	Dallas, Texas, U.S.A. Date of affiliation: August 29, 1997
	Located in northeastern Texas, Dallas is a key city in the south central region of the United States. Its major industries include oil, distribution, electronics, and airlines. The city is also famous as the home of several professional sports franchises. The population of Dallas stands at approximately 1,210,000 people.

	Gwangju, Korea Date of affiliation: April 20, 2002
	Gwangju is a metropolitan city located in the southwest region of South Korea. It is a hub of political, economic, and cultural influences, as well as a cultural city with an impressive concentration of institutions of higher education. Gwangju hosts the Gwangju Biennale, an international art festival that is held every other year. The city is home to approximately 1,400,000 people.

	Oulu, Finland Agreement concluded on November 3, 2005
	An agreement respecting the promotion of industrial development focusing primarily on the field of high-tech applications was concluded by four parties: the city of Oulu, Oulu Innovation Ltd., the city of Sendai, and the Sendai City Industrial Promotion Organization. Oulu is home to approximately 130,000 residents.

	Tainan, Taiwan Agreement concluded on January 20, 2006
	Spurred by the momentum in civic exchanges gained through the Star Festival, an agreement to promote exchanges in six areas--tourism, economy, industry, welfare, culture, and sports--was concluded between Sendai and Tainan. The population of Tainan stands at approximately 760,000 people.

Courtesy Call to the Mayor of Sendai
2007.May.11

The city of Sendai is actively involved in a number of city-to-city exchange programs with seven sister and friendship cities from around the world: Riverside (United States), Rennes (France), Minsk (Belarus), Acapulco (Mexico), Changchun (PRC), Dallas (United States), and Gwangju (South Korea). In addition, Sendai has also signed an agreement for promotion focused on high-tech industries with Oulu (Finland) and an agreement for the promotion of exchanges with Tainan (Taiwan). Teams were invited this year from seven of these cities (all except for Acapulco and Oulu) and fourteen runners participated in the race.

Teams representing international sister and friendship cities and cities with official agreements paid a visit to Sendai City Hall. This photograph depicts a member of the team from Dallas (United States) ringing the Riverside Friendship Bell, a gift received from the city of Riverside in 1967.

The team from Riverside (United States). Sendai and Riverside has been international sister city since 1957.


A message (by the team leader) and introduction of the runners are delivered by the team from Changchun (PRC).	A message and introduction of the runners are delivered by the team from Minsk(Belarus).


The team from Tainan (Taiwan) makes its first-ever appearance at this event.	The team from Rennes (France) checks their number of bibs and time-measuring chips while listening to instructions.	The team from Gwangju (South Korea) enjoys a pleasant chat with Katsuhiko Umehara, mayor of Sendai.	Words of welcome are delivered by Mayor Katsuhiko Umehara, Chairman of the organizing committee.

A group photo of the invited teams from international sister and friendship cities and cities with official agreements and Mayor Katsuhiko Umehara.