Sister city

Kariya City logo

Mississauga has proudly called Kariya, Japan its sister city since 1981.

The sister city initiative began in the 1950s as a way to promote communication between cities around the world. The original goal was to reduce conflict between nations in the aftermath of World War II.

Having a sister city provides unique cultural and educational exchange opportunities for students, businesses and City staff. This partnership also enhances our City’s global reputation and trade. Over 100 Japanese companies now contribute to our local economy in Mississauga, more than any other city in Canada.

In July 1992, the City opened Kariya Park to honour our sister city partnership. The park features Japanese-style gardens, pavilion, cherry trees, rhododendrons, and several sculptures gifted to us by Kariya City.

In 2001, Kariya City opened Mississauga Park. The park features a miniature replica of Mississauga’s City Hall, a maple leaf structure, and a sculpture of a bear by Canadian artist John McEwen.

Photo gallery

Group of Mississauga and Kariya representatives signing partnership in 1981 — Signing of the sister city declaration between Mississauga and Kariya in 1981. Photo provided by Museums of Mississauga.

Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion and Kariya Mayor sitting at a table signing partnership agreement — Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion (left) and Mayor Ichimatsu Miyata (right) sign the sister city declaration in 1981. Photo provided by Museums of Mississauga.

Miniature replica of Mississauga City Hall and Clocktower in a Japanese park — Mississauga Park in Kariya, Japan has a miniature replica of Mississauga’s City Hall. Photo provided by Stephanie Meeuwse.

Red metal sculpture of a maple leaf — Maple leaf structure in Mississauga Park, Kariya, Japan. This was the main gate of the Canada Pavilion at the 2005 World Expo in Nagoya, Japan. After the expo it was given to Kariya for use in Mississauga Park. Photo provided by Stephanie Meeuwse.

Sculpture of a black bear standing on a canoe — John McEwen’s sculpture “The Water Road” was gifted to Kariya City in 2001. It was installed in Mississauga Park in Kariya City for the official opening in March 2001.

Tile mosaic of photos in a wood frame in a park — The City of Kariya gifted this mosaic to Mississauga in 2011 for Kariya Park. It has 6,750 photos from past delegations and twinning events. Photo provided by Stephanie Meeuwse.

Pond with pavilion in a park — Kariya Park in Mississauga

Man sitting looking at pond with cherry blossom trees — Kariya Park in Mississauga

The Friendship Bell in Kariya Park was a gift from the City of Kariya to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the sister city partnership and the new millennium.

Mayor Crombie and delegation with Mayor Takenaka and Chairman Suzuki of NTN at Mississauga Park, Kariya City 2016

Kariya City welcoming Mayor Crombie on her inaugural visit in 2016

Mayor Crombie with Mayor Takenaka at the “Water Road” public art, gifted to Kariya by the City of Mississauga (2016)

40th anniversary

In 2021, Mississauga marked 40 years of friendship with Kariya, Japan. The anniversary was celebrated with a virtual event.

The virtual celebration was attended by several guests, including:

Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie
Kariya Mayor Takeshi Inagaki
Consul General of Japan in Toronto Sasayama Takuya
Ward 6 Mississauga Councillor and recipient of “Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays” award, Ron Starr
Former Mississauga Mayor, Hazel McCallion
Chairperson of Kariya City Council, Mr. Kohichi Toyama
Presidents of Mississauga and Kariya Friendship Associations

The celebration included a virtual gift exchange between the two cities as well as a musical performance by Mississauga artists Matt Zaddy and Heather Christine of River North.

35th anniversary

In July 2016, Mississauga celebrated the 35th anniversary of its sister city partnership with Kariya, Japan. The 35th anniversary coincided with Mayor Yoshinori Takenaka’s visit to Mississauga.

During his four-day visit, Mayor Takenaka took part in various tours and dinners, a Mayors’ gift exchange ceremony and the Canada Day ceremony at Mississauga Celebration Square.

The Mayors’ gift exchange ceremony took place on June 30 in the Great Hall at Civic Centre. On behalf of the City, Mayor Crombie presented Mayor Takenaka with an Ojibway hand drum created by Canadian artist, Destiny Rae. In exchange, Mayor Takenaka gifted Mayor Crombie with a Japanese suit of armour.

The ceremony also featured a hand drum performance by Kim Wheatly of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.

Several honoured delegates and guests attended the ceremony, including:

Members of Mississauga City Council
Yutaka Suzuki, President of Kariya International Friendship Association
Hidefumi Maeda, Chair of Kariya City Council
Masahiko Niwa, Kariya City Liaison
Stephanie Meeuwse, President of Mississauga Friendship Association

30th anniversary

In 2011, the Mayors of Mississauga and Kariya, along with City representatives, gathered in Mississauga’s Kariya Park for a celebration of the 30th anniversary of their twinning as sister cities.

In honour of the anniversary, Mississauga presented a park bench representing friendship and goodwill, to be placed in Mississauga Park in Kariya. Kariya presented Mississauga with a beautiful mosaic, made of 6,750 photos from past delegations and events from the twinning which make a larger image of their Mando Festival.

View the 30th anniversary book

25th anniversary

Mississauga celebrated the sister city 25th anniversary on July 7, 2006 from 10 a.m. to noon in the Great Hall at the Civic Centre. More than 65 guests joined the event from Japan, including Kariya Mayor Kunio Enami. Many of the honoured delegates and guests have been attending events commemorating this occasion since 1975.

Thank you to our 25th Anniversary event sponsors:

Canon
Denso Corporation
FedEx
Fujifilm
GlaxoSmithKline
Golder Associates
Hershey
Hitachi
Komatsu Canada Limited
Konica Minolta
Kyocera
Mary Kay
Mississauga Board of Trade
Monte Carlo Inn
NSK Ltd.
Ricoh
Smart (Daimler AG)
Subaru of Mississauga
The Mississauga News

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