Tokyo's International Strategy

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government's Basic Strategy for City Diplomacy was formulated in December 2014 to clarify the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's basic stance and policy direction on city diplomacy. In line with its three goals of (1) Ensure the successful delivery of the Tokyo 2020 Games, (2) Find solutions to common urban challenges, and (3) Make Tokyo a global city, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government is promoting practical cooperation, both city-to-city and among multiple cities.

In order to make Tokyo the world's city of choice, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government will establish an international network that leverages Tokyo's strengths, and engage in international strategy that will reinforce Tokyo's voice and presence.

Tokyo's Sister and Friendship Cities/States

Commencing with the signing of its first agreement with New York City in 1960, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government currently has sister or friendship city/state relationships with 12 cities and states around the world. Tokyo has also concluded agreements with the world's leading cities, including its sister and friendship cities, to engage in exchange and cooperation in areas of mutual interest, including the environment and sports.

Sister and Friendship Cities/States of Tokyo

Conclusion of agreements with sister and friendship cities/states, etc.

Seoul, Berlin, New South Wales, Tomsk, London, Moscow, Beijing, Paris, Los Angeles (in order of date the agreement was signed)

Multilateral Projects

In line with Tokyo's Basic Strategy for City Diplomacy, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government is advancing multilateral projects that promote cooperation and exchange and help resolve issues shared by metropolises around the world. Specifically, the Tokyo Global Partners Seminar was held to build the foundation for intercity relations and promote practical cooperation through discussions and the sharing of experiences. From the nine cities participating in the first seminar held in 2015, the number of participating cities has steadily increased, and at the 6th seminar, held in 2021 as the first online seminar, 21 cities, the largest number ever, participated, with discussions held on the theme of “Strengthening Cooperation between Cities for a Sustainable Recovery from the COVID-19 Crisis.” In this way, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government is strengthening its relations with many cities outside Japan.

	6th Tokyo Global Partners Seminar

 

Tokyo also participates in international networks such as the U20. Based on the recognition that cities play an important role in creating a sustainable and inclusive world, the U20 brings together the experiences and views of the participating cities and produces a communique proposing recommendations to the G20. Tokyo joined the U20 on January 24, 2018, served as the chair in 2019, and in the same year, held the U20 Mayors Summit.

Other multilateral projects include the Network for Crisis Management, which aims to improve crisis management capabilities for natural disasters and other risks through the sharing of experience and expertise among member cities; Countermeasures to Combat Infectious Diseases in Asia, which aims to raise the ability to respond to outbreaks of infectious diseases through exchange of information and views on infectious disease countermeasures taken by each city; and programs for sports and cultural exchange.

 

	2019 U20 Tokyo Mayors Summit

 

	Network for Crisis Management: Foreign rescue teams participate in Tokyo's FY2019 Comprehensive Disaster Management Drill

 

Sustainable Recovery Tokyo Forum

The world is now seeking economic recovery from the pandemic while addressing the climate crisis, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government is expanding upon this movement to go beyond the environment to include the perspective of achieving lives sustainable in all ways, for a truly sustainable recovery.

In order to call out to the world to realize this sustainable recovery, Tokyo held the Sustainable Recovery Tokyo Forum (Re StaRT) on August 7, 2021. At the conference, discussions were held starting from the fields of the environment and culture, and the results were adopted in the Tokyo Declaration. Tokyo is working to widen the circle of world cities endorsing this declaration. Going forward, Tokyo plans to launch a new global network centering on cities that have endorsed this declaration (38 cities as of the end of February, 2022), sister and friendship cities, and cities that Tokyo has built good relations with through multi-city cooperation, such as the Tokyo Global Partners Seminar, so that cities can share their expertise on global challenges and further promote solutions to urban challenges.

	Group photo taken with forum participants (Tokyo, Brisbane, Dakar, Los Angeles, Paris, Singapore)