Hyderabad, Japan’s Miyoshi Renew Sister-City Pact After 20 Years
Renewed agreement opens fresh avenues for skilled Indian professionals in Japan, student exchanges, Japanese language education, tourism and cultural cooperation.
HYDERABAD: Two decades after forging a sister-city relationship, Hyderabad Metropolitan Area in Telangana and Miyoshi City in Japan’s Hiroshima Prefecture have renewed their partnership, setting the stage for greater cooperation in skilled workforce mobility, school education, tourism, cultural activities and people-to-people exchanges.
The renewed agreement marks 20 years of municipal-level cooperation between the two cities, which began with the signing of their original sister-city pact on July 27, 2006.
The declaration was signed by Jayesh Ranjan, IAS, Special Chief Secretary for Metropolitan Area and Urban Development and Special Officer for GHMC, CMC and MMC, and Satoshi Fukuoka, Mayor of Miyoshi City.
The signing ceremony was attended by the Commissioners of GHMC, CMC and MMC, a Japanese delegation comprising Miyoshi’s Vice Mayor and Vice Chairman of the City Council, senior government officials and representatives of organisations working to strengthen India-Japan relations.
A major feature of the renewed partnership is its emphasis on creating opportunities for skilled Indian professionals to contribute to industries and regional development in Miyoshi and the wider Hiroshima Prefecture.
The agreement also envisages expanding school partnerships, student exchange programmes, educational visits, online interactions and Japanese language learning initiatives, providing young people from both countries with greater exposure to each other’s educational systems and cultures.
Tourism, sports and cultural activities constitute another important area of cooperation, with both cities seeking to deepen people-to-people relationships through regular exchanges.
Two Decades of Cultural and Educational Exchanges: The Hyderabad-Miyoshi relationship has witnessed substantial participation over the past two decades. According to Na Ra JAPAN HUB (NRJH), more than 150 citizens from Hyderabad, 100 citizens from Miyoshi and over 500 students have participated in exchange programmes, educational collaborations, cultural activities and technical visits.
The origins of the partnership can be traced to a goodwill visit by a delegation from Miyoshi to Hyderabad, followed by discussions facilitated by B. Rama Bhadra and his wife, with the support of the late Dr. Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, and Hyderabad’s then Mayor Teegala Krishna Reddy.
These efforts culminated in the formal signing of the sister-city agreement in Miyoshi in 2006, laying the foundation for sustained cooperation between the two cities.
Over the years, the relationship has been supported by various cultural and educational organisations, including the Ohara School of Ikebana, Friends Bonsai Society, Golden Dragons Martial Arts Group, Japanese language institutions, student exchange groups and volunteers.
Na Ra JAPAN HUB, led by Mr. and Mrs. Rama Bhadra, which has been actively associated with the exchanges, welcomed the renewal of the agreement and reaffirmed its commitment to supporting future initiatives in education, skill mobility, tourism, culture and sports.
The organisation expressed hope that the renewed partnership would expand opportunities for cooperation between Telangana and Japan over the next two decades.
With the agreement now renewed, the two cities have established a framework for extending their longstanding relationship beyond traditional cultural exchanges into workforce development, educational collaboration and broader community engagement.
