October 29, 2014
Official visit to London and Berlin (Meeting with the Mayor of Berlin)
On Wednesday, October 29, Governor Masuzoe met with the Governing Mayor of Berlin Klaus Wowereit. In order to make the friendship city agreement between Tokyo and Berlin entered into on May 14, 1994 more beneficial to the citizens of both cities, the governor and mayor signed a memorandum of understanding confirming that close exchange and cooperation will be carried out in the areas of urban planning, the environment, and cultural exchange.
Following the meeting, the governor told the media gathered, "The mayor and I have just signed an agreement between Berlin and Tokyo. This is an agreement that aims to further strengthen the cooperative relationship between the two cities in a variety of areas such as urban planning, the environment, and culture. Since it is the 20th anniversary of our friendship city relationship, I am very happy to have been able to come on such an occasion. The wall between East and West Berlin is gone, and the two cities are now one. With new and old sections of the city coexisting side-by-side, urban planning must be a great challenge. Tokyo is also going through similar difficulties as we plan for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. As such, I hope that we can also work together on such issues. Furthermore, not only the city of Berlin, but the entire country of Germany is highly advanced with respect to environmental issues, and I hope that we can share our mutual expertise in this area. I want to take this opportunity to make the Berlin-Tokyo relationship an even more productive one."
