Sister Cities
2025/5/5
As of now, more than 40 sister or friendship city relationships have been established between Japan and Southern California & Arizona. Kindhearted citizens have provided homestays for exchange students, official delegations have paid reciprocal visits, and various cultural events have been held, in order for these cities to build stronger ties.
Organization Supporting Sister Cities
CLAIR (Council of Local Authorities for International Relations)
provides information and resources to local governments to support sister city exchanges.
provides information and resources to local governments to support sister city exchanges.Sister Cities List
Southern California
| City | (County) | Japan City | (Prefecture) | Signing Year | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burbank | (Los Angeles) | Ota | (Gunma) | 1984 | |
| Carson | (Los Angeles) | Soka | (Saitama) | 1979 | |
| Culver City | (Los Angeles) | Kaizuka | (Osaka) | 1965 | |
| Gardena | (Los Angeles) | Ichikawa | (Chiba) | 1962 | |
| Glendale | (Los Angeles) | Higashiosaka | (Osaka) | 1960 | |
| Glendora | (Los Angeles) | Moka | (Tochigi) | 1988 | |
| La Mirada | (Los Angeles) | Isehara | (Kanagawa) | 1981 | |
| Lomita | (Los Angeles) | Takaishi | (Osaka) | 1981 | |
| Long Beach | (Los Angeles) | Yokkaichi | (Mie) | 1963 | |
| Los Angeles | (Los Angeles) | Nagoya | (Aichi) | 1959 | |
| Montebello | (Los Angeles) | Ashiya | (Hyogo) | 1961 | |
| Monterey Park | (Los Angeles) | Nachikatsuura Town | (Wakayama) | 1968 | |
| Pasadena | (Los Angeles) | Mishima | (Shizuoka) | 1957 | |
| Pasadena | (Los Angeles) | Kasukabe | (Saitama) | 1993 | *Friendship Cities |
| Rancho Palos Verdes | (Los Angeles) | Sakura | (Tochigi) | 2020 | |
| Redondo Beach | (Los Angeles) | Itoman | (Okinawa) | 2013 | |
| Santa Monica | (Los Angeles) | Fujinomiya | (Shizuoka) | 1975 | |
| Santa Monica | (Los Angeles) | Kizugawa | (Kyoto) | 2016 | *Friendship Cities |
| Torrance | (Los Angeles) | Kashiwa | (Chiba) | 1973 | |
| Torrance | (Los Angeles) | Bizen | (Okayama) | 2024 | *Friendship Cities |
| Torrance | (Los Angeles) | Oshu | (Iwate) | 2024 | *Friendship Cities |
| West Covina | (Los Angeles) | Ohtawara | (Tochigi) | 2007 | *West Covina had a sister city relationship with Kurobane Town since 2004. Due to the merger of the town to Ohtawara City, West Covina signed a new agreement of the sister city relationship with Ohtawara in 2007. |
| Anaheim | (Orange) | Mito | (Ibaraki) | 1976 | |
| Brea | (Orange) | Hanno | (Saitama) | 1981 | |
| Fullerton | (Orange) | Fukui | (Fukui) | 1989 | |
| Huntington Beach | (Orange) | Anjo | (Aichi) | 1982 | |
| Irvine | (Orange) | Tsukuba | (Ibaraki) | 1989 | |
| Newport Beach | (Orange) | Okazaki | (Aichi) | 1984 | |
| Corona | (Riverside) | Gotsu | (Shimane) | 2004 | |
| Hemet | (Riverside) | Kushimoto Town | (Wakayama) | 1974 | |
| Hemet | (Riverside) | Marumori Town | (Miyagi) | 1990 | |
| Riverside | (Riverside) | Sendai | (Miyagi) | 1957 | |
| Temecula | (Riverside) | Daisen Town | (Tottori) | 1994 | |
| Redlands | (San Bernardino) | Hino | (Tokyo) | 1963 | |
| San Bernardino | (San Bernardino) | Tachikawa | (Tokyo) | 1959 | |
| Carlsbad | (San Diego) | Futtsu | (Chiba) | 1988 | |
| Chula Vista | (San Diego) | Odawara | (Kanagawa) | 1981 | |
| Encinitas | (San Diego) | Amakusa | (Kumamoto) | 1988 | *Amakusa City was formed in 2006 by the merger of Hondo City and other towns. It succeeds the previous sister city agreement with Encinitas. |
| Oceanside | (San Diego) | Fuji | (Shizuoka) | 1991 | |
| Oceanside | (San Diego) | Kisarazu | (Chiba) | 1990 | |
| San Diego | (San Diego) | Yokohama | (Kanagawa) | 1957 | |
| Santa Barbara | (Santa Barbara) | Toba | (Mie) | 1966 |
Arizona
| City | (County) | Japan City | (Prefecture) | Signing Year | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AvondaleArizona | (Maricopa) | Kaizu | (Gifu) | 1933 | |
| PhoenixArizona | (Maricopa) | Himeji | (Hyogo) | 1976 |
Others
| City | (County) | Japan City | (Prefecture) | Signing Year | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AlhambraOthers | (Los Angeles) | Kirishima | (Kagoshima) | *The informal goodwill relationships between two cities started in 2007. |
