Tokyo's International Strategy

In order to make Tokyo the world’s city of choice, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government is advancing government-wide initiatives aimed at raising Tokyo’s international presence, in line with the Policy for Promotion of the Global City Strategy （compiled June 2022）.

Building a Global Network

In 2022, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government launched the Global City Network for Sustainability （G-NETS）, an international network for participating cities to build connections with one another and share their knowledge and expertise to find solutions to universal urban challenges, with the ultimate aim of realizing a sustainable world.

The inaugural G-NETS Leaders Summit was held in February 2023, bringing together mayors, governors, and other high-level officials from 34 cities across the globe to discuss matters such as measures to address urban challenges and their visions for the future. Intercity cooperation was confirmed, and the results of the summit were announced as a communique. Leveraging the networks formed through the summit, Tokyo and overseas cities are working together to advance practical initiatives aimed at tackling global issues.

In May 2024, under the concept of Sustainable High City Tech Tokyo (SusHi Tech Tokyo), an initiative making use of cutting-edge technologies to generate new values aimed at realizing a sustainable world, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government will hold the SusHi Tech Tokyo 2024 City Leaders Program.

	City leaders at the G-NETS Leaders Summit, held from February 27 to March 1, 2023

 

Tokyo's Sister and Friendship Cities/States

Commencing with the signing of its first agreement with New York City in 1960, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government currently has sister or friendship city/state relationships with 12 cities and states around the world. Tokyo has also concluded agreements with the world's leading cities, including its sister and friendship cities, to engage in exchange and cooperation in areas of mutual interest, including the environment and sports.

Sister and Friendship Cities/States of Tokyo

Conclusion of agreements with sister and friendship cities/states, etc.

Seoul, Berlin, Tomsk, London, Moscow, Beijing, Paris, Los Angeles, Kuala Lumpur, Abu Dhabi, New South Wales （in order of date the agreement was signed）

Multilateral Projects

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is advancing multilateral projects that promote cooperation and exchange and help address challenges shared by metropolises around the world. One such project is the Network for Crisis Management, which aims to improve crisis management capabilities for natural disasters and other risks through the sharing of experience and expertise among member cities. In addition to conducting trainings to develop human resources and exchanging information via an emergency hotline, the network also holds an annual Crisis Management Conference, organized on a rotating basis by a member city, that brings together working-level city officials to improve their technical and practical skills. The 2023 conference was held in Tokyo for the first time in eight years.

Tokyo also participates in the Urban 20 (U20) city network. Based on the recognition that cities play an important role in creating a sustainable and inclusive world, the U20 brings together the experiences and views of the participating cities and produces a communique proposing recommendations to the G20. Tokyo joined the U20 in 2018, served as the chair in 2019, and in the same year, held the U20 Mayors Summit. More recently, the governor of Tokyo attended the 2022 and 2023 Mayors Summits, respectively held in Jakarta and Gujarat.

	Sixth U20 Mayors Summit （in Gujarat, India）

 

Cooperation with Embassies and Representative Offices in Tokyo

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is engaged in various activities to build ties and strengthen cooperation with the approximately 160 embassies and representative offices of countries and regions that are located in Tokyo. Information sessions are held regularly to introduce the policies of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to ambassadors and other diplomatic officers, in order to deepen their understanding of Tokyo’s initiatives. Additionally, to strengthen cooperation with respect to assisting foreign nationals in times of disaster, seminars are held for officers in charge of disaster management at the diplomatic missions in Tokyo, covering measures that will be taken by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government when a disaster strikes and reinforcing channels of communication.