
Hyogo Prefecture & Washington State
The Hyogo Business & Cultural Center works to promote and enhance the sister-state relationship between Washington State and Hyogo Prefecture as well as our shared sister cities. By working closely on shared government agendas and issues, we can simultaneously gain valuable insight and share key information to further strengthen our sister-state ties and advance the lives of our citizenry.
The sister-city relationship established between Kobe and Seattle in 1957 was the very first in Washington. It was followed by the establishment of the sister-state relationship between Hyogo and Washington in 1963. Since then several other cities in Washington have established relationships with cities and towns in Hyogo.
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Washington | Sister-City Association Est. | Hyogo |
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Seattle・シアトル | October 1957・1957年10月 | Kobe・神戸市 |
Auburn・オーバーン | July 1968・1968年7月 | Tamba (Kasuga)・丹波市(春日町) |
Spokane・スポケーン | September 1961・1961年9月 | Nishinomiya・西宮市 |
Renton・レントン | July 1969・1969年7月 | Nishiwaki・西脇市 |
Kent・ケント | November 1969・1969年11月 | Tamba (Kaibara)・丹波市(柏原町) |
Walla Walla・ワラワラ | August 1972・1972年8月 | Sasayama・篠山市 |
Olympia・オリンピア | April 1980・1980年4月 | Kato (Yashiro)・加東市(社町) |
Pullman・プルマン | November 1989・1989年11月 | Kasai・加西市 |
Kittitas County・キッティタス郡 | April 1992・1992年4月 | Sanda・三田市 |
Sequim・スクイム | June 1993・1993年6月 | Shiso (Yamasaki)・宍粟市(山崎町) |
Chelan・シェラン | November 1996・1996年11月 | Kato (Tojo)・加東市(東条町) |
Port Townsend・ポート・タウンゼンド | October 2002・2002年10月 | Ichikawa・市川町 |
Covington・コビントン | October 2015・2015年10月 | Tatsuno・たつの市 |

Governor Inslee with students from Kato, Hyogo

Six students from Auburn set to visit Tamba City in the summer
The following are examples of what kinds of events and collaborations are currently being done between each of the sister relationships.
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Seattle - Kobe: high school student dispatches, jazz vocal exchanges, yacht club networking
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Spokane - Nishinomiya: high/middle school student dispatches, educational seminars
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Kent/Auburn - Tamba: high/middle school student exchanges, mutual visits
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Renton - Nishiwaki: high/middle school student exchanges, mutual visits, Lion’s Club member visits
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Olympia - Kato: 10-day summer youth exchange program