Mayor Denyse McGriff said she found the perfect gift to “bridge” cultural gaps, giving Oregon’s Consular Office of Japan an ornament of the Oregon City-West Linn Arch Bridge on the office’s recent visit to city hall.
Oregon City officials conversed with the Portland-based Consular Office of Japan during an informal get-together on Dec. 12. Oregon City-Tateshina Sister City Committee members Beth and Bob Werber were also in attendance.
Oregon City and Tateshina are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their sister-city relationship in 2024. At the meeting, McGriff gave a tour of city hall to Consul General Yuzo Yoshioka and Consul Naota Shigehisa.
The consular office was on a tour visiting all of the cities in the Portland metro area that have a Japanese sister city. Sister city programs facilitate exchange opportunities for local students and spread understanding and goodwill between nations.Â
The Oregon and Southwest Washington area has a total of 27 sister city relationships with Japan, according to the Japan-America Society of Oregon.
During his visit to Oregon City, Yoshioka emphasized the interconnectivity of Japan and Oregon — there are 159 Japanese companies in Oregon and nearly 8,000 Japanese nationals in the state, while Oregon exported $1.5 billion of goods to Japan in 2022. McGriff said she was impressed with his knowledge of Oregon, given his short time in the position since March.
The Japanese Consulate in Portland was established in 1900. Oregon City and Tateshina have been “sisters” since 1974, when prominent Oregon City figure Dr. Glenn Parrott’s son and daughter-in-law were doing missionary work in Japan.
At time their sisterhood was established, the two cities were about the same size in population, and both were largely agricultural. Since then, Oregon City’s population has grown to more than 35,000, while Tateshina’s population has decreased to less than 8,000.
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