JLGC Director Noboru Fujishima, Assistant Director Motoko Tsujii and Public Relations Officer Keith Kelly visited Sheffield City Council last week in support of a visit by Kawasaki City Mayor Takao Abe. The visit cemented the 20th anniversary of the Friendship City relationship between Kawasaki and Sheffield, with the prospect of vibrant city to city links in the future on the grounds of economic cooperation and innovation partnering. The visit was organised by Sheffield City Council Economic Strategy Policy Officer Michael Hellewell and Manager of International Trade and Relations at Creative Sheffield Jo Lavan.
Mayor Abe’s group was accompanied by a traditional Japanese music ensemble who performed in the Winter Gardens for the public. Another group in Sheffield with the mayor was the Kawasaki-Sheffield Friendship Delegation (a local citizens group) who attended various events at local schools and hospices, as well as the friendship renewal and signing ceremony with Mayor Abe and Lord Mayor of Sheffield, Alan Law, where there was also another performance in the mayor’s parlour by the ensemble as part of the ceremony.
Mayor Abe’s group also had a guided tour of the Advanced Manufacturing Park on the edge of the city, where companies, such as Boeing in collaboration with the University of Sheffield, work together in producing metal products for high value high technology industries, including the nuclear industry and defence. AMP Business Development Manager Joe Anwyl gave a presentation on the background to the AMP and the future plans for the park.
Mayor Abe’s group also met with senior staff at the University of Sheffield to discuss future collaboration between the university and education institutes in Kawasaki, before Mayor Abe gave a presentation to a packed lecture theatre on his policies in Kawasaki. He compared the city to Sheffield as both have a long history in the production of steel and in heavy industry. Kawasaki developed as one of the key industrial cities in Japan and instead of concentrating solely on research and development facilities, the city is currently working on an image change. Focusing on arts and culture, Kawasaki is diversifying into a “City of Music”, “City of Films”, and “City of Sports”, much like Sheffield.
Many thanks from JLGC to Michael Hellewell, Jo Lavan and Joe Anwyl, as well as all the University of Sheffield staff for their warm welcoming and hosting of the three groups.
