Mihara, Hiroshima, Japan

On 21 March 2019, we signed an official declaration of partnership with Mihara. The agreement was signed by Mayor Grant Smith and Mihara Mayor Yoshinori Tenma.

Located in Japan’s Hiroshima Prefecture, Mihara was founded on 15 November 1936 and has an estimated population of 97,324.

Its name references the three (mi) plains (hara) that the three main rivers split the area into. Mihara Castle was built upon the plains in the late 1500s and a castle town grew up around it (the castle celebrated its 450th anniversary in 2017). In 2005, the towns of Daiwa, Kui and Hongō were also merged into Mihara.

With the Hiroshima Airport located in the western hills of Mihara, it makes the city a transit hub for much of the Hiroshima prefecture. As a key junction of land, sea and air transportation, it is also an industrial city with varied economic strengths such as shipbuilding, fisheries, printing machinery and electronics companies.

The University of Hiroshima has a Mihara Campus. It is home to the Faculty of Health and Welfare, specialising in healthcare frontline service majors including nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and radiology.

In recent years, Palmy and Mihara have exchanged mayoral-led delegation visits, with key areas of discussion focused on education, sport, economic and emergency management cooperation.

In March 2019, Mihara Mayor Yoshinori Tenma led a delegation to Palmy for the Sister Cities New Zealand Conference. Among others, the Mihara delegates visited IPU to advance cooperation on education programmes and participated in the Festival of Cultures opening ceremony. Mihara also permanently loaned a suit of samurai armour to the Te Manawa Museum of Art, Science and History.