Secretariat, Taipei City Government

On December 18, Taipei City Mayor Wan-An Chiang and Shizuoka City (Japan) Mayor Takashi Namba jointly signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on friendly city exchanges and cooperation between the two cities. Building on the foundation of long-standing sports exchanges between Taipei City and Shizuoka City, this memorandum further extends their cooperation into the areas of smart city development, green transformation, tourism, and education.

During his speech, Mayor Chiang expressed his gratitude toward Mayor Namba as well as Tsuneya Inoue, the Chairperson of the Shizuoka City Council, and the delegate team from the Shizuoka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who were present to witness the signing of the MOU. In particular, Mayor Chiang thanked Mayor Namba for enthusiastically leading five runners from Shizuoka City to participate in the Taipei Marathon held on December 17, thereby enhancing the prestige of this event.

Mayor Chiang noted that the amicable relationship between Taipei City and Shizuoka City began with the signing of an MOU in 2014 on exchanges related to marathon events. In 2022, another MOU on sports cooperation was signed, expanding the scope of cooperation into multiple sports, including basketball and baseball. After nearly a decade of substantial sports exchanges, Taipei City and Shizuoka City have decided to further broaden their scope of cooperation. By signing the present MOU, the two cities aim to deepen their partnership in sports, smart city development, tourism, green transformation, and education, with the hope of learning from each other and generating reciprocal benefits.

During the signing ceremony, Mayor Chiang specifically mentioned that the Taipei Dome recently opened and successfully hosted the Asian Baseball Championship, where the Japanese team won the championship. Plans are underway for the Yomiuri Giants to compete with local teams in Taiwan next year. Mayor Chiang also voiced his hope that that the opening of the Taipei Dome will further promote baseball exchanges between Taiwan and Japan.

Mayor Namba expressed his gratitude for Mayor Chiang’s attendance at the signing ceremony despite his busy schedule. He also highlighted that he felt highly honored to be invited to fire the starting gun at the Taipei Marathon. Mayor Namba noted that following his appointment in April 2023 and Mayor Chiang’s assumption of his office at the end of 2022, the signing of the present MOU symbolizes a new chapter in the exchanges between Taipei City and Shizuoka City. He looks forward to cooperating with Taipei City in the future to facilitate mutual learning between the two cities and to overcome various challenges through joint efforts. He also extended his wish to increase exchanges between the two cities, in both the public and private sectors.

In addition to the Shizuoka City Government, the signing ceremony was attended by members of the Shizuoka City Council and the Shizuoka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, totaling 35 delegate members. After the ceremony, the delegation visited the Taipei Urban Intelligence Center and discussed digital governance with members of the Taipei City Government.