Chungnam Signs Exchange Agreement with Shizuoka, Japan
2014.01.02(목) 11:57:34 | CNnews
(
chungnamdo@korea.kr)
Chungnam and the Japanese prefecture of Shizuoka have entered a brotherhood.
On April 30th, Governor An, Hee-jung of Chungnam and Governor Kawakatsu, Heita of Shizuoka signed a bilateral friendly exchange agreement in the Chungnam government complex.
The agreement is to facilitate collaboration and exchange between the two provinces in the areas of economy, culture, tourism and education, thereby contributing to peace and prosperity in East Asia and helping to improve Korea-Japan relations. The two leaders also pledged earnest support for exchange projects undertaken by local councils, cities and counties as well as private sectors.
It is the first friendly exchange agreement for Chungnam to sign with an overseas municipality, since its relocation to Naepo, and is the third exchange agreement with Japanese local governments, following Kumamoto Prefecture (1983) in Kyushu and Nara Prefecture (2011).
Upon signing the agreement, Governor An stressed that "Whether it is between individuals, regions or nations, it is important to get along well without conflict. That would require a good understanding of each other's mentality and careful establishment of history."
Governor Kawakatsu responded by saying, "Baekje helped build our nation, which is why a number of people from Shizuoka came here as reinforcements when Baekje collapsed some 1,350 years ago. Let us take this opportunity to create a friendly bilateral relationship in tourism, health, business and many other areas."
With the agreement, Chungnam now has six sisterhood relations and 17 friendly exchange (cooperation) agreements with overseas municipalities.
Shizuoka Prefecture, located in central Japan, between Tokyo and Osaka, has a population of 3.8 million. The 10th largest region of all the 47 Japanese municipalities serves as a cultural and economic bridge between west and east Japan. It is home to the Fuji Mountain (3,776m), the highest mountain in Japan and a well-known spiritual site.
It is called the 'department store of industries', with prominent manufacturers such as Yamaha, Suzuki, Nippon Paper Group and Kawai, and diverse and robust industries including transportation and electric machinery, medicine and medical machinery.
