A representative from the Japanese Consulate in Anchorage spoke at a Homer City Council meeting on Sept. 9, celebrating 40 years of the sister city relationship between Homer and Teshio in Hokkaido, Japan.
Homer and Teshio established their sister city partnership in 1984 to focus on student exchanges and cultural activities.
Japanese Consul Kiyohiko Hamada leads Japan’s consular office in Anchorage. He visited Homer and highlighted the importance of this longstanding partnership. Hamada, appointed late last year, oversees Japan's relations with Alaska, including eight sister city relationships. Before his posting in Alaska, he served in Ukraine and Seattle.
He said the two cities managed to maintain a connection through the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Because of the pandemics, many such relations became inactive or even stand still. But in the case of Teshio and Homer, online exchanges have been continuing, and finally, we could see the 40th anniversary today,” Hamada said.
Hamada also said that Homer and Teshio are one of only a few active sister city relationships between Japan and Alaska.
"Between Japan and the United States, we have 464 sister city relations. And between Japan and Alaska, we have eight sister city relations," Hamada said.
Seward established its sister city relationship with Obihiro, Japan, in 1968, and formalized the exchange program in 1973, when two Seward High School students visited Obihiro. This was one of the earliest sister city relationships between an Alaska and Japanese city that involved yearly student exchanges.
Megumi Beams serves as a sister city liaison and Japanese interpreter. She also leads the Alaska Japanese Club in Homer, fostering connections between Alaska and Japan through events, education, and youth exchanges.
"It's essential for us to establish an environment to pass on this sister city program to the next generation. Since I became a liaison of our sister city, both mayors are hoping that our relationship will keep developing a strong relationship with each other in the future,” Beams said.
Consul Hamada expressed his hope for continued growth in the relationship, with the potential for a delegation from Homer to visit Teshio in the future. A task force for planning sister city celebrations has held discussions on the city’s role in sending students to Teshio next year.
