YOKKAICHI, JAPAN
ABOUT
Begun in 1963 in the spirit of President Eisenhower’s 1956 People to People Program, the Long Beach-Yokkaichi Sister City Association was begun by Mayor Edwin Wade, the Port of Long Beach, friends of Yokkaichi, and numerous citizens in both countries. They established the first and one of the most successful sister city associations in Long Beach. For thirty-three alternating summers, each city has hosted trios of two students and a teacher in shared experiences in living with families. Groups of students from Yokkaichi University have taken intensive English language classes at California State University, Long Beach. Six teachers drawn from local teachers or CSULB graduates are continuously employed by the Yokkaichi junior and senior high schools to assist in their English language program.
MISSION
To create rapport between the cities by exchanging cultural, civic, educational, commercial and industrial activities and relationships. We fulfill our mission through regular exchanges of students and teachers, as well as through physician exchanges between the two cities.
BENEFITS FOR THE CITY
Our two ports do considerable import-export business together. The Yokkaichi Warehouse, a Japanese transshipping business, has several major offices in the U.S., one being in Long Beach. We’ve had two trade fairs, the postmasters have exchanged information on their procedures, and our fire departments have shared vital information on earthquake preparedness.
BENEFITS FOR LONG BEACH
The City of Long Beach looks to the Association to assure proper protocol when Yokkaichi officials and citizens visit and to assure a friendly and memorable experience for them.