Stronger ties of friendship in Japan

Ritstjórn
Mayor Heiða Björg Hilmisdóttir and Hiroyuki Abe, mayor of Tama City in Japan
Mayor Heiða Björg Hilmisdóttir and Hiroyuki Abe, mayor of Tama City in Japan

Mayor Heiða Björg Hilmisdóttir and Hiroyuki Abe, mayor of Tama City in Japan, recently signed a letter of intent to strengthen cooperation between the cities, particularly in education, culture and sports. Heiða Björg took part in an extensive program for Iceland's National Day at the World Expo in Osaka.

Mayor Heiða Björg Hilmisdóttir visited Tama City near Tokyo on May 28 and received a warm welcome in this beautiful city. The visit aimed to strengthen friendship between the cities, and Heiða signed a letter of intent with Tama City Mayor Hiroyuki Abe to prepare a sister city agreement between the two cities. Both sides are especially interested in exploring possible student and teacher exchanges and working on expanded cooperation in culture and sports. At a press conference held after the signing, there was strong interest in Reykjavík and future cooperation between the cities.

Mayor Heiða Björg Hilmisdóttir and Tama City Mayor Hiroyuki Abe sign a letter of intent to prepare a sister city agreement between the two cities.
Heiða Björg Hilmisdóttir borgarstjóri og Hiroyuki Abe borgarstjóri Tama borgar undirrituðu viljayfirlýsingu um undirbúning systraborgarsamkomulags milli borganna tveggja. 

"It was moving to come to Tama City and experience all the warmth and interest. There are many exciting opportunities for cooperation and I look forward to working with Mayor Abe and his team to develop projects," said Mayor Heiða Björg Hilmisdóttir.

 

 

"It is especially gratifying to find such keen interest in learning from our experience at Reykjavík City about how cities can advance women's rights, where we have much to share."

 

Heiða Björg Hilmisdóttir, Mayor

Strong interest in Iceland

Ever since Icelandic athletes made Tama City their "home base" for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the city has celebrated the connection in many ways. Tama's streets are decorated with Icelandic flags, and city officials have published a book with information about the country covering customs, women's rights and interviews with Stefán Haukur Jóhannsson, Iceland's ambassador to Japan, and Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, the former president. This month there will be a five-day food festival to celebrate Iceland's National Day on June 17.

Home of Sanrio and Hello Kitty

The mayors in front of Sanrio headquarters, makers of Hello Kitty, in Tama City
Borgarstjórarnir fyrir fram höfuðstöðvar Sanrio sem framleiða hinar heimsfrægu Hello Kitty vörur.

Tama City is famous for being the home of Hello Kitty, where Sanrio's headquarters and HelloKittyland theme park are located. The city is a beautiful and peaceful oasis on the outskirts of the Tokyo metropolitan area. Mayor Abe, who is in his fourth term, is a progressive leader and under his leadership the city has taken many steps toward sustainability and greater equality.

Mayor participated in promoting Iceland in Japan

The mayor at a meeting with President Halla Tómasdóttir of Iceland and Japanese female parliamentarians at Tsuda University where they discussed the women's rights struggle in Iceland and the situation in Japan.
Halla Tómasdóttir forseti Íslands og Björn Skúlason eiginmaður hennar og Heiða Björg Hilmisdóttir borgarstjóri íslensku tónlistarfólki á Íslandsdaginn á Heimssýningunni í Osaka.

In addition to the visit to Tama City, Heiða Björg took part in many events related to President Halla Tómasdóttir's visit to Japan, the cultural and culinary program Taste of Iceland in Tokyo and Iceland Day at the World Expo in Osaka.

Mayor Heiða Björg speaks about the role of local governments and cities in improving gender equality.
Heiða Björg borgarstjóri ræðir um hlut sveitastjórna og borga í að bæta jöfnuð.

On Saturday, May 31, there was a impactful meeting between Iceland's president and Japanese female parliamentarians at Tsuda University where they discussed the women's rights struggle in Iceland and the situation in Japan. The mayor then delivered a speech about the role of local governments and cities in improving equality, and along with President Halla Tómasdóttir took part in engaging and candid discussions with youth. The event at Tsuda University was organized by Asahi, Japan's largest media conglomerate. The events drew significant attention in Japan during the Icelandic delegation's visit.