International Forum on City Networks for a Cohesive Society Hosted by Japan’s Foreign Ministry

By Professor Yamawaki Keizo of Meiji University

Co-hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the international forum titled "Domestic and International Municipal Collaboration Toward the Realization of a Cohesive Society" was held in Tokyo on 13 February 2025 in a hybrid format. While the forum’s title referred to municipal collaboration broadly, both the second and third sessions focused on city networks at the domestic and international levels.

International speakers participated online, while domestic speakers attended in person. The event offered simultaneous Japanese-English interpretation and attracted over 270 participants from Japan and abroad.

The forum consisted of three sessions. In the first session, opening remarks were delivered by Miyaji Takuma, State Minister for Foreign Affairs and Ugochi Daniels, Deputy Director General of IOM, followed by a presentation on intercultural cohesion (tabunka kyosei) initiatives by the Director of the International Section of Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

In the second session, Rita Marascalchi, Head of the Intercultural Inclusion Unit at the Council of Europe, presented on the Intercultural Cities Programme, an international network of cities promoting intercultural inclusion in Europe and beyond. Turkan Aksoy, Coordinator of Welcoming Australia, discussed the Welcoming Cities initiative in Australia, which is part of Welcoming International, another international network of cities. Choi Hae Yeon, Chief Officer of the Foreign Resident Administration Division of Ansan City, South Korea, introduced the Korean National Multicultural Cities Council and shared Ansan City’s initiatives since joining the Intercultural Cities network in 2020. A Q&A session followed the three presentations, moderated by Professor Yamawaki Keizo of Meiji University.

In the third session, a panel discussion was held on the theme of city networks in Japan. Panelists represented Hamamatsu City, which initiated the Council of Municipalities with Large Foreign Populations, Soja City, which is currently the chair city of the Council, Shizuoka Prefecture, which is a member of the Council for the Promotion of Multicultural Society, a national network of prefectures promoting intercultural cohesion, and the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). The discussion was moderated by Professor Yamawaki.

The moderator opened the panel discussion by providing the following context:

“Immigration policy has become a major issue in national elections across Western countries, with rising support for anti-immigration parties and significant political shifts, such as in the United States. In contrast, at the municipal level, proactive efforts to promote migrant inclusion are progressing, alongside the expansion of international city networks. The second session featured prominent examples of city networks, including the Intercultural Cities and Welcoming Cities initiatives, as well as insights from the Korean National Multicultural Cities Council. Notably, Japan’s Council of Municipalities with Large Foreign Populations, established in 2001, is the longest-running network among those introduced today. This panel aims to examine the achievements and challenges of city networks for a cohesive society in Japan.”

The first half of the panel discussion focused on domestic networks, covering topics such as the Council of Municipalities with Large Foreign Populations, the Council for the Promotion of Multicultural Society, and the Project Team for Realizing a Cohesive Society under the National Governors' Association, which was recently established at the initiative of Shizuoka Prefecture.

The second half emphasized international networks, featuring Hamamatsu City’s efforts since joining the Intercultural Cities network in 2017. Shizuoka Prefecture’s consideration of joining the network was also noted.

Key achievements of both domestic and international city networks included strengthening city branding, facilitating the exchange of good practices, enhancing public communication, and increasing transparency in policy evaluation. Identified challenges involved administrative burdens of maintaining networks and the risk of policy proposals becoming mere formalities.

The moderator concluded the panel discussion with the following three points:

1. Japan’s Council of Municipalities with Large Foreign Populations has a distinguished history and can be seen as a model initiative internationally, producing outcomes through dialogue with the national government. Support from national organizations, such as CLAIR and JICA, is anticipated to further these efforts.

2. Shizuoka Prefecture’s potential membership in the Intercultural Cities network, following Hamamatsu City, is an encouraging development. In this forum, tools such as the Intercultural Cities Index and the Welcoming Cities Standard were introduced, along with the IOM’s Migration Governance Index. Developing a Japan-specific index informed by these tools may offer valuable guidance for local governments in Japan. Collaboration between the Council of Municipalities with Large Foreign Populations and Korea’s Multicultural Cities Council may hold promising potential.

3. Japan’s longstanding initiatives, such as the Council of Municipalities with Large Foreign Populations and intercultural cohesion (tabunka kyosei) efforts, are hardly known internationally. This forum’s message of municipal collaboration is significant, given the rise of anti-immigrant rhetoric globally. Effectively communicating Japan’s sustained efforts in both Japanese and English is of great importance.