US-Japan Sister Cities by State

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The United States has more sister-community relationships with Japan than any other country, with over 400 sister city and sister state relationships. These linkages connect 46 US states with all but one of Japan's 47 prefectures.

The first US sister-city relationship with a community in Asia was formed between St. Paul, Minnesota, and Nagasaki, Japan, on December 7, 1955, based on a desire for peace and a celebration of historical ties.

Interactive Map: Zoom in to see totals for each state, and rollover a state or icon for more information.

State U.S. City Japanese City Prefecture State Total
Alabama       Total: 7
  Anniston Tatsuno-shi Hyogo  
  Birmingham Hitachi Ibaraki  
  Birmingham Maebashi Gunma  
  Dothan Sakado Saitama  
  Mobile Ichihara Chiba  
  Montevallo Echizen Fukui  
  Tuscaloosa Narashino Chiba  
Alaska       Total: 9
  Anchorage Chitose Hokkaido  
  Girdwood Myoko-Kogen Niigata  
  Homer Teshiro Hokkaido  
  Ketchikan Kanayama Gifu  
  Kenai Peninsula Borough Akita City Akita  
  North Pole Itadori-mura Gifu  
  Palmer Saroma Hokkaido  
  Seward Obihiro Hokkaido  
  Sitka Nemuro Hokkaido  
Arizona       Total: 2
  Avondale Kaizu Gifu  
  Pheonix Himeji Hyogo  
Arkansas       Total: 2
  Hot Springs Hanamaki Iwate  
  Pine Bluff Bando Ibaraki  
California State of California Osaka Prefecture
  Total: 83
  Alameda Arita-machi Saga  
  Anaheim Mito Ibaraki  
  Antioch Chichibu Saitama  
  Bakersfield Wakayama Wakayama  
  Berkeley Sakai Osaka  
  Burbank Ōta Gunma  
  Carlsbad Futtsu Chiba  
  Carson Soka Saitama  
  Chula Vista Odawara Kanagawa  
  Concord Kitakami Iwate  
  Corona Gotsu Shimane  
  Culver City Kaizuka Osaka  
  Cupertino Toyokawa Aichi  
  Davis Inuyama Aichi  
  Encinitas Hondo (now Amakusa) Kumamoto  
  Escondito Maebaru (now Itoshima) Fukuoka  
  Eureka Kamisu Ibaraki  
  Fairfield Nirasaki Yamanashi  
  Fremont Fukaya Saitama  
  Fresno Kochi Kochi  
  Fullerton Fukui City Fukui  
  Gardena Ichikawa Chiba  
  Gilroy Takko Aomori  
  Glendale Hiroshima Hiroshima  
  Glendale Higashi Osaka Osaka  
  Glendora Moka Tochigi  
  Hayward Funabashi Chiba  
  Hemet Kushimoto Wakayama  
  Hemet Marumori Miyagi  
  Hercules Tsushima Aichi  
  Hollister Takino Hyogo  
  Irvine Tsukuba Ibaraki  
  La Mirada Isehara Kanagawa  
  Livermore Yotsukaido Chiba  
  Livingston Wakami-machi (Now Oga) Akita  
  Lodi Kofu Yamanashi  
  Lomita Takaishi Osaka  
  Long Beach Yokkaichi Mie  
  Los Angeles Nagoya Aichi  
  Mendocino Miasa (Now Omachi) Nagano  
  Milpitas Kukizaki (Now Tsukuba City) Ibaraki  
  Modesto Kurume Fukuoka  
  Montebello Ashiya Hyogo  
  Monterey Nanao Ishikawa  
  Monterey Park Nachikatsuura Wakayama  
  Morgan Hill Mizuho Tokyo  
  Mountain View Iwata Shizuoka  
  Napa Iwanuma Miyagi  
  Newport Beach Okazaki Aichi  
  Oakland Fukuoka Fukuoka  
  Oceanside Fuji Shizuoka  
  Oceanside Kisarazu Chiba  
  Palo Alto Tsuchiura Ibaraki  
  Pasadena Mishima Shizuoka  
  Pittsburg Shimonoseki Yamaguchi  
  Redlands Hino Tokyo  
  Richmond Shimada Shizuoka  
  Riverside Sendai Miyagi  
  Rohnert Park Hashimoto Wakayama  
  Sacramento Matsuyama Ehime  
  Salinas Kushikino (Now Ichikikushikino) Kagoshima  
  San Bernadino Tachikawa Tokyo  
  San Bruno Narita Chiba  
  San Diego Yokohama Kanagawa  
  San Francisco Osaka Osaka  
  San Jose Okayama Okayama  
  San Mateo Toyonaka Osaka  
  Santa Barbara Toba Mie  
  Santa Clara Izumo Shimane  
  Santa Cruz Shingu Wakayama  
  Santa Monica Fujinomiya Shizuoka  
  Saratoga Muko Kyoto  
  Sausalito Sakide Kagawa  
  Sebastopol Yamauchi Saga  
  South San Francisco Kishiwada Osaka  
  Stockton Shimizu Shizuoka  
  Temecula Nakayama (Now Daisen) Tottori  
  Torrance Kashiwa Chiba  
  Tracy Memuro Hokkaido  
  Vallejo Akashi Hyogo  
  West Covina Kurobane (Now Ohtawara) Tochigi  
  Yuba City Fujishiro Ibaraki  
Colorado State of Colorado Yamagata Prefecture
  Total: 8
  Aspen Shimukappu Hokkaido  
  Boulder Yamagata Yamagata  
  Broomfield Maruko (Now Ueda) Nagano  
  Canon City Kahoku Yamagata  
  Colorado Springs Fujiyoshida Yamanashi  
  Denver Takayama Gifu  
  Longmont Chino Nagano  
Connecticut       Total: 2
  New Britain Atsugi Kanagawa  
  Wethersfield Nagayo Nagasaki  
Delaware State of Delaware Miyagi Prefecture - Total: 1
District of Columbia - - - Total: 0
Florida State of Florida Wakayama Prefecture   Total: 10
  Clearwater Nagano Nagano  
  Delray Beach Miyazu Kyoto  
  Lakeland Imabari Ehime  
  Largo Tosayamada Kochi  
  Miami Kagoshima Kagoshima  
  Miami Beach Fujisawa Kanagawa  
  Orlando Urayasu Chiba  
  Pensacola Gero Gifu  
  Saint Petersburg Takamatsu Kagawa  
Georgia State of Georgia Kagoshima Prefecture   Total: 11
  Americus Konu (Now Miyoshi) Hiroshima  
  Atlanta Fukuoka Fukuoka  
  Augusta Takarazuka Hyogo  
  Columbus Kiryu Gunma  
  Dublin Sanbongi (Now Osaki) Miyagi  
  Elberton Mure (Now Takamatsu) Kagawa  
  Gainesville Ohito (Now Izunokuni) Shizuoka  
  Lagrange Aso Kumamoto  
  Macon Kurobe Toyama  
  Rome Ueki Kumamoto  
Hawaii State of Hawaii
Ehime Prefecture
  Total: 20
  State of Hawaii Fukuoka Prefecture    
  State of Hawaii Hiroshima Prefecture    
  State of Hawaii Okinawa Prefecture    
  Hawaii County Hawai-cho (Now Yurihama) Tottori  
  Hawaii County Nago Okinawa  
  Hawaii County Oshima Tokyo (Sister Islands)
  Hawaii County Shibukawa Gunma  
  Hawaii County Sumoto City Hyogo  
  Honolulu Hiroshima Hiroshima  
  Honolulu Naha Okinawa  
  Honolulu Nagaoka Niigata  
  Honolulu Tokyo Tokyo  
  Honolulu Uwajima Ehime  
  Kauai County Ishigaki Okinawa  
  Kauai County Moriyama City Shiga  
  Kauai County Suo-Oshima Yamaguchi  
  Maui County Fukuyama Hiroshima  
  Maui County Hachijo Island Tokyo  
  Maui County Hirara City (Now Miyakojima) Okinawa  
Idaho       Total: 3
  Idaho Falls Tokai-mura Ibaraki  
  Pocatello Iwamizawa Hokkaido  
  Sun Valley Yamanouchi Shiga  
Illinois       Total: 8
  Bloomington-Normal Asahikawa Hokkaido  
  Carbondale Nakajo (Now Tainai) Niigata  
  Chicago Osaka Osaka  
  Decatur Tokorozawa Saitama  
  Schaumburg Namerikawa Toyama  
  Shelbyville Okuwa Nagano  
  Springfield Ashikaga Tochigi  
  Waukegan Kiyotake (Now Miyazaki) Miyazaki  
Indiana State of Indiana Tochigi Prefecture   Total: 14
  Carmel Kawachinagano Osaka  
  Columbus Miyoshi Aichi  
  Evansville Tochigi Tochigi  
  Fort Wayne Takaoka Toyama  
  Franklin Kuji Iwate  
  Greenfield Kakuda Miyagi  
  Lafayette Ota Gunma  
  Mishawaka Shiojiri Nagano  
  Princeton Tahara Aichi (Friendship Cities)
  Richmond Daito Shimane  
  Shelbyville Kambara (Now Shizuoka) Shizuoka  
  Speedway Motegi Tochigi  
  Terre Haute Tajimi Gifu  
Iowa State of Iowa Yamanashi Prefecture   Total: 9
  Ames Enzan (Now Koshu) Yamanashi (Partner Cities)
  Clarinda Tamana Kumamoto  
  Des Moines Kofu Yamanashi  
  Keokuk Kai Yamanashi  
  Marshalltown Minami Alps Yamanashi  
  Muscatine Ichikawadaimon (Now Ichikawamisato) Yamanashi  
  Sioux City Yamanashi Yamanashi  
  Winterset Minami Alps Yamanashi  
Kansas       Total: 4
  Abilene Omitama Ibaraki  
  Lawrence Hiratsuka Kanagawa  
  Leavenworth Omihachiman Shiga  
  Olathe Maebashi Gunma (Friendship Cities)
Kentucky       Total: 6
  Berea Hokuto Yamanashi  
  Bowling Green Kawanishi Hyogo  
  Elizabethtown Koori machi Fukushima  
  Georgetown Tahara Aichi  
  Lexington Shizunai (Now Shinhidaka) Hokkaido  
  Owensboro Nisshin Aichi (Sister Regions)
Louisiana       Total: 1
  New Orleans Matsue Shimane  
Maine State of Maine Aomori Prefecture   Total: 3
  Bath Tsugaru Aomori  
  Portland Shinagawa-ku Tokyo  
Maryland State of Maryland Kanagawa Prefecture
  Total: 2
  Baltimore Kawasaki Kanagawa  
Massachusetts State of Massachusetts Hokkaido Prefecture   Total: 14
  Amherst Kanegsaki Iwate  
  Arlington Nagaokakyo Kyoto  
  Boston Kyoto Kyoto  
  Cambridge Tsukuba Science City Ibaraki  
  Concord Nanae Hokkaido  
  Fairhaven/New Bedford Tosashimizu Kochi  
  Gloucester Tamano Okayama  
  Longmeadow Takikawa Hokkaido  
  Marlborough Akiruno Tokyo  
  Medford Nobeoka Miyazaki  
  Plymouth Shichigahama Miyagi  
  Salem Ota-ku Tokyo  
  Springfield Takikawa Hokkaido  
Michigan State of Michigan Shiga Prefecture   Total: 28
  Adrian Moriyama Shiga  
  Ann Arbor Hikone Shiga  
  Battle Creek Takasaki Gunma  
  Birmingham Ritto Shiga  
  Chelsea Shimizu Hokkaido  
  Clinton Township Yasu Shiga  
  Detriot Toyota Aichi  
  DeWitt Konan (Now Koka) Shiga  
  Dundee Yoshida (Now Tsubame) Shiga  
  Fremont Yahaba Iwate (Friendship Cities)
  Garden City Imazu (Now Takashima) Shiga (Friendship Cities)
  Grand Rapids Omihachiman Shiga  
  Kalamazoo Numazu Shizuoka  
  Lansing Otsu Shiga  
  Marquette Yokaichi (Now Higashioumi) Shiga  
  Marshall Koka Shiga  
  Midland Handa Aichi  
  Mount Pleasant Okaya Nagano  
  Muskegon Omuta Fukuoka  
  Novi Owani Aomori  
  Petoskey Takashima Shiga  
  Pontiac Kusatsu Shiga  
  Saginaw Tokushima Tokushima  
  Sault Ste. Marie Ryuo Shiga  
  St. Johns Kosei (Now Konan) Shiga  
  Traverse City Tsuchiyama (Now Koka) Shiga  
  Wyandotte Komaki Aichi  
Minnesota       Total: 10
  Anoka Taishin village (Now Shirakawa) Fukushima  
  Bloomington Izumi Osaka  
  Braham Yuasa Wakayama  
  Cambridge Yuasa Wakayama  
  Duluth Isumi Chiba  
  Minneapolis Ibaraki Osaka  
  Red Wing Ikata Ehime  
  St. Cloud Akita City Akita  
  St. Paul Nagasaki Nagasaki  
  Winona Kagota (Now Misato) Miyagi  
Mississippi - - - Total: 0
Missouri State of Missouri Nagano Prefecture   Total: 8
  Columbia Matto (Now Hakusan) Ishikawa  
  Grandview Haruna Gunma  
  Independence Higashi Murayama Tokyo  
  Kansas City Kurashiki Okayama  
  Lee's Summit Aizuwakamatsu Fukushima  
  St. Louis Suwa Nagano  
  Springfield Isesaki Gunma  
Montana State of Montana Kumamoto Prefecture   Total: 2
  Livingston Naganohara Gunma  
Nebraska       Total: 3
  Araphaoe Ozu Kumamoto  
  Hastings Ozu Kumamoto  
  Omaha Shizuoka Shizuoka  
Nevada - - - Total: 0
New Hampshire       Total: 2
  Hanover Nihonmatsu Fukushima  
  Portsmouth Nichinan Miyazaki  
  Portsmouth Nango (Now Nichinan) Miyazaki  
  Portsmouth Kitago (Now Nichinan) Miyazaki  
New Jersey State of New Jersey Fukui Prefecture   Total: 6
  Allendale Omachi Saga  
  Elizabeth Kitami Hokkaido  
  Marlboro Township Nanto Toyama  
  New Brunswick Fukui City Fukui  
  New Brunswick Tsuruoka Yamagata  
New Mexico       Total: 2
  Albuquerque Sasebo Nagasaki  
  Santa Fe Tsuyama Okayama  
New York       Total: 8
  Buffalo Kanazawa Ishikawa  
  Corning Kakegawa Shizuoka  
  Glens Falls Saga Saga  
  Horseheads Bato (Now Nakagawa) Tochigi  
  New Paltz Niimi Okayama  
  New York City Tokyo Tokyo  
  Rochester Hamamatsu Shizuoka  
  Warren County Saga Saga  
North Carolina       Total: 1
  Durham Toyama Toyama  
North Dakota       Total: 1
  Grand Forks Awano (Now Kanuma) Tochigi  
Ohio State of Ohio Saitama Prefecture   Total: 15
  Bellefontaine Suzuka Mie  
  Celina Nandan (Now Minami-Awaji) Hyogo  
  Cincinnati Gifu Gifu  
  Dayton Oiso Kanagawa  
  Euclid Naraha Fukushima  
  Lima Harima Hyogo  
  Mansfield Funehiki (now Tamura) Fukushima  
  Middletown Furukawa (Now Osaki) Miyagi  
  Milan Yawata (Now Hachiman) Kyoto  
  Saint Marys Awaji Hyogo  
  Toledo Toyohashi Aichi  
  Troy Takahashi Okayama  
  Van Wert County Goshiki (Now Sumoto) Hyogo  
  Worthington Sayama Saitama  
Oklahoma State of Oklahoma Kyoto Prefecture   Total: 5
  Norman Seika Kyoto  
  Shawnee Nikaho Akita  
  Stillwater Kameoka Kyoto  
  Tulsa Utsunomiya Tochigi  
Oregon State of Oregon Toyama Prefecture   Total: 21
  Beaverton Gotemba Shizuoka  
  Canby Kurisawa Hokkaido  
  Coos Bay Choshi Chiba  
  The Dalles Ikeda (Now Miyoshi) Tokushima  
  Eugene Kakegawa Shizuoka  
  Florence Ijira (Now Yamagata) Gifu (Friendship Cities)
  Forest Grove Nyuzen Toyama  
  Gresham Ebetsu Hokkaido  
  Hillsboro Fukuroi Shizuoka  
  Hood River Tsuruta Aomori  
  Madras Kitamimaki (Now Tomi) Nagano  
  Milwaukie Iwaki Fukushima  
  Newport Monbetsu Hokkaido  
  Ontario Sayama Osaka  
  Oregon City Tateshina Nagano  
  Pendleton Haramachi (Now Minamisoma) Fukushima  
  Portland Sapporo Hokkaido  
  Roseburg Shobu Saitama  
  Salem Kawagoe Saitama  
  Wilsonville Kitakata Fukushima  
Pennsylvania       Total: 5
  Bethlehem Tondabayashi Osaka  
  Chambersburg Gotemba Shizuoka  
  Lancaster Sano Tochigi  
  Philadelphia Kobe Hyogo  
  Pittsburgh Saitama Saitama  
Rhode Island       Total: 1
  Newport Shimoda Shizuoka  
South Carolina - - - Total: 0
South Dakota       Total: 1
  Rapid City Nikko Tochigi  
Tennesee       Total: 5
  Hendersonville Tsuru Yamanashi  
  Knoxville Muroran Hokkaido  
  McMinnville Mikawa Yamagata  
  Oakridge Naka Ibaraki  
  Smyrna Zama Kanagawa  
Texas       Total: 15
  Austin Oita City Oita  
  Beaumont Beppu Oita  
  Belton Ebino Miyazaki  
  Corpus Christi Yokosuka Kanagawa  
  Dallas Sendai Miyagi (Friendship Cities)
  Fort Worth Nagaokakyo Niigata  
  Galveston Niigata Niigata  
  Houston Chiba Chiba  
  Huntsville Niharu Gunma  
  Lubbock Mushashino Tokyo  
  Nacagdoches Naze Kagoshima  
  Pasadena Hadano Kanagawa  
  San Antonio Kumamoto Kumamoto  
  Southlake Tome Miyagi  
  Tyler Yachiyo Chiba  
Utah       Total: 1
  Salt Lake City Matsumoto Nagano  
Vermont       Total: 2
  Burlington Nishinomiya Hyogo  
  Rutland Ishidoriya (Now Hanamaki) Iwate  
Virginia       Total: 4
  Newport News Neyagawa Osaka  
  Norfolk Kitakyushu Fukuoka  
  Richmond Saitama Saitama  
  Virginia Beach Miyazaki Miyazaki  
Washington State of Washington  Hyogo Prefecture   Total: 35
  Anacortes Kisakata (Now Nikaho) Akita  
  Auburn Kasuga (Now Tamba) Hyogo  
  Bellevue Yao Osaka  
  Bellingham Tateyama Chiba  
  Bremerton Kure Hiroshima  
  Camas Taki Mie  
  Camas Hosoe (Now Hamamatsu) Shizuoka  
  Chehalis Inasa (Now Hamamatsu) Shizuoka  
  Chelan Tojo (Now Kato) Hyogo  
  Edmonds Hekinan Aichi  
  Everett Iwakuni Yamaguchi  
  Federal Way Hachinohe Aomori  
  Ferndale Miyoshi (Now Minamiboso) Chiba  
  Kelso Sagara (Now Makinohara) Shizuoka  
  Kent Kaibara (Now Tamba) Hyogo  
  Kititas County Sanda Hyogo  
  Lakewood Okinawa Okinawa  
  Longview Wako Saitama  
  Moses Lake Yonezawa Yamagata  
  Olympia Yashiro (Now Kato) Hyogo  
  Port Angeles Mutsu Aomori  
  Port Townsend Ichikawa Hyogo  
  Pullman Kasai Hyogo  
  Renton Nishiwaki Hyogo  
  Seattle Kobe Hyogo  
  Sequim Yamasaki (Now Shiso) Hyogo  
  Spokane Nishinomiya Hyogo  
  Tacoma Kitakyushu Fukuoka  
  Tukwila Iwaka (Now Miyoshi) Tokushima  
  Vancouver Joyo Kyoto  
  Walla Walla Sasayama Hyogo  
  Wenatchee Kuroishi Aomori  
  Wenatchee Misawa Aomori  
  Yakima Itayanagi Aomori  
West Virginia - - - Total: 0
Wisconsin State of Wisconsin  Chiba Prefecture   Total: 14
  Appleton Kanonji Kagawa  
  Madison Obihiro Hokkaido  
  Manitowoc Kamogawa Chiba  
  Menasha Maebashi Gunma  
  Menomonie Minaminasu (Now Nasukarasuyama) Tochigi  
  Racine Oiso Kanagawa  
  Rice Lake Miharu-machi Fukushima  
  Sheboygan Tsubame Niigata  
  Superior Ami Ibraki  
  Waupaca Nio (Now Mitoyo) Kagawa  
  Waupun Isumi Chiba (Sister School Districts)
  West Bend Aisho Shiga  
  Wisconsin Dells Iwaizumi Iwate  
Wyoming - - -  Total: 0
  Total Sister States: 23 Total Sister Cities: 391 Combined: 414  

Data Sources: Sister Cities International; Government of Japan -The Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR); The East-West Center in Washington (From information collected from individual states and municipalities).