On July 25, 1996, then President Kuniwo Nakamura visited Mie Prefecture to establish sister state relations between Palau and Mie Prefecture. This Sunday marks the 25^th anniversary where Palau and Mie Prefecture will celebrate 25 years since the establishment of sister state relations. 

The relations between Palau and Mie Prefecture dates back to during the Japanese administration, where the people of Mie lived and worked in Palau. The late Former President Kuniwo Nakamura’s father was a shipwright from Ise City of Mie Prefecture who moved to Palau. Since Palau’s independence on October 1, 1994, and further with the establishment of sister state relations, the relations between Palau and Mie Prefecture have expanded with an array of exchanges conducted, such as the visit of delegations between Palau and Mie, technical training programs and school and youth exchanges. 

As part of the 25^th anniversary of sister state relations, Mie Prefecture has initiated a crowdfunding to repair a traditional canoe which was donated to Mie Prefecture by then President Kuniwo Nakamura as a sign of friendship. Once repaired, the canoe will be utilized by students at the Mie Prefectural Fisheries High School along with the production of a trailer for safe storage and transport of the canoe. Mie Prefectural Fisheries High School and Palau High School are sister schools since 1997. 

Please join us in celebrating the 25 years of friendship which so happily exist between Palau and Mie Prefecture on July 25, 2021!

For more information and details on how to donate, please refer to the following link (Japanese only):

https://www.pref.mie.lg.jp/KOKUSEN/HP/m0137600144.htm

More information on Palau-Mie relations on the Mie Prefectural Government Website:

https://www.pref.mie.lg.jp/KOKUSEN/HP/72130045002.htm