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	Tokyo Home History of the Relationship Past Activities
2005
	February 17-18th, 2005 The Tokyo Metropolitan Government sends a four person delegation to the February Public Art Summit, “Strategies for Public Art.” Yusaku Imamura, Counselor on Special Issues (Cultural Affairs) to Governor Ishihara, Yoshihiro Kume, Director of Cultural Activities Support Section, Nobuhiro Ishihara, artist, and Kayoko Iemura, Program Director for Tokyo Wonder Site comprise the delegation. Mr. Imamura gives a presentation on “Cultural Policies of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.” Tokyo’s White Paper is available here. Mr. Nobuhiro also participates in the international panel session, “Public Art: Vision or Compromise?” at Tweed Courthouse on the second day of the Summit. The Panel session is available for viewing as a web cast. Tokyo delegate, Nobuhiro Ishihara (second from right) as a panel member, “Public Art: Vision or Compromise?” Tweed Courthouse, February 18, 2005. February 2005 Public Art Summit “Strategies for Public Art” 2004 August, 2004 Tamas Revesz's "New York" Photo Exhibition SCP supports the efforts of Tamas Revesz, a Hungarian-American Pulitzer Memorial Prize-winning photographer, to bring his photo exhibition “New York” to all of New York’s Sister Cities. Mr. Revesz had a successful exhibition in Tokyo in the summer of 2004 at the invitation of Asahi Shimbun Newspaper and Asahi TV in Japan. The exhibit of New York City photographs from his book, "New York" (published by W.W. Norton, 2000) was showcased at the "Umu" Exhibition Hall in Tokyo. The photo exhibition met with great success and excellent reviews. The Honorable Howard Baker, United States Ambassador to Japan, gave remarks at the opening reception and called the photos “an awesome tribute to America’s most famous city.” The photo exhibit was also highlighted in the International Herald Tribune and the Asahi Shimbun. October 2, 2004 The Harmonia Opera Company celebrated its 23rd Anniversary at the Merkin Concert Hall with a kabuki performance of the Japanese fairy tale “Haibo.” At the close of the opera, Ambassador Hiroyasu Ando, Consul General of Japan, spoke of the close relationship between Tokyo and New York City. Ms. Bonnie Rosenberg also gave congratulatory remarks on behalf of the Sister City Program of the City of New York, Inc.

	June 24-25th, 2004 Tokyo was represented at the June Technology Summit "Transforming Government Through Technology" by the Deputy Director of the Japan Local Government Center. June 2004 Technology Summit "Transforming Government Through Technology"

	April 2004 The Sister City Program of the City of New York presented an award certificate to Ms. Kim Lawrence, the first prize winner of the New York-Tokyo Friendship Amateur Ceramic Competition. In its eighth year this competition, organized by the Ceramic Artist Friendship Association Inc. to promote cultural ties between New York and Tokyo, is the Sister City Program’s oldest Citizen Support Project. The Honorable Ambassador Hiroyasu Ando, Consul General of Japan, gave welcoming remarks at the awards reception, which included many distinguished guests from the art world and members of the diplomatic community.
2003
	October 28-29th, 2003 The Tokyo Metropolitian Police force sent a delegation to the October Security Summit "Meeting the Challenges of Terrorism and Crime." October 2003 Security Summit "Meeting the Challenges of Terrorism and Crime"

	September 2003: Director of Protocol Leni Liftin and SCP Executive Director Maley Ong received a group of Japanese officials and performers at City Hall where they presented a gift to Mayor Bloomberg, and proceeded to the World Trade Center and the Stock Exchange. The group then held a Traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony at the Reuter's building. Some of the pieces of the ceremony were over 500 years old.

	"Vase," by Yoko Ono of New York won the first prize at the 2002 Tokyo-New York Amateur Ceramic Art Competition. Photo courtesy of the Japan Local Government Center.

	April 2003: Former Executive Director Ciara Knudsen awarded 1st prize to Mr. Jun Orita in the 7th Annual New York-Tokyo Amateur Ceramic Competition at the Nippon Gallery. The organizers of the contest, the Ceramic Artists Friendship Association, donated the proceeds of the event to the Families of Freedom Scholarship fund to go to scholarships for the children of victims of September 11th. From April 14 -19, visitors and residents of New York visited the Nippon Gallery. The goal of this annual contest is to foster cultural ties between the sister cities of Tokyo and New York by encouraging and honoring the creativity of each city's amateur clay artists.

	March 2003: Representatives of the New York Police Department Band participate in the celebration of the 400th Anniversary of the Edo Government in Tokyo following a similar exchange in 2000 when the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Band and the Saitama Prefecture Police Band performed in Central Park.

	February 6-7th, 2003 Representatives from the top Japanese tourism organizations attended the February Tourism Summit "Rebuilding International Tourism." February 2003 Tourism Summit "Rebuilding International Tourism"