Nagasaki/Saint Paul Sister Club Relationship
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Covid delayed our 2020 plans to visit our sister club in Nagasaki. Our nearly 50 year relationship remains strong and we Zoomed together from our very different time zones. Check back for updates on a future trip.
Nagasaki, Japan lies at the head of the best natural harbor on the island of Kyushu, the southern most island of the four major islands of Japan. It became a center of Portuguese and European influence in the 16th to 19th centuries. To the extent possible, it was also the center of Christian influence in Japan. At the close of World War II it was the second city in Japan to be devastated by an atomic bomb.
In 1955, the City of Saint Paul and the City of Nagasaki formed a sister city relationship. In 1974, the Rotary International Convention was held in the Twin Cities. At that convention, Mitsuji Iwanaga of the Rotary Club of Nagasaki and Jim Aldridge of the Rotary Club of Saint Paul met and started a relationship between the two clubs that lasts to this day.
The first act was to begin mutual exchanges of high school students as part of our Youth Exchange Program. The relationship has also led to many visits by Nagasaki Rotarians to Saint Paul and Saint Paul Rotarians to Nagasaki.
In 1981, the Rotary Club of Saint Paul sent a totem pole to Nagasaki to be displayed at the entrance the Nagasaki Peace Park and Nuclear Holocaust Museum. Currently, we are in the process of revamping this prominent site with a more adequate and lasting symbol of our special relationship.
Nagasaki and Saint Paul continue to exchange students on alternating years, and we intend to further strengthen and expand our relationship in the years to come.
» Download the excellent presentation about the history of Nagasaki and our club partnership that Al Zdrazil gave to the club meeting on Sep 28, 2010.
» Learn more about the sister city relationship (external website)
» Visit the Nagasaki Rotary Club (in Japanese)