The delegation was led by Vice Governor of Hokkaido Prefecture Yasuhiro Tsuji. The delegation was composed of Prefecture officials, representatives of construction and development companies, research establishments and food enterprises.
As part of the visit, the second session of the working group on development of cooperation between St. Petersburg and Hokkaido Prefecture was held under the guidance of Vice Governor of St. Petersburg Oleg Markov and Vice Governor of Hokkaido Prefecture Yasuhiro Tsuji on 16 November 2018.
The sides discussed issues of cooperation in organizing direct air service between St. Petersburg and Hokkaido Prefecture, opening a restaurant of authentic Japanese cuisine in St. Petersburg, development of the Arctic, construction in cold regions, electronic document management, Smart City concept, wastewater disposal and treatment, healthcare, tourism, education and culture. The sides have enshrined the points of agreement in the final protocol.
Reference: The first session of the working group was held in Sapporo City of Hokkaido Prefecture as part of the visit by the Governor of St. Petersburg G.S. Poltavchenko from 22 till 24 August 2018.
During the visit, the delegation of Hokkaido Prefecture had negotiations with the management of Committee for Tourism Development.
In accordance with the agreements reached, it is planned to open a tourist office of St. Petersburg in Sapporo under “Visit St. Petersburg” brand in the first half of 2019 as part of the Cooperation Agreement between Committee for Tourism Development and Japan Air Travel Marketing Co. In addition, the sides agreed on interchange of social advertising tourism attraction of St. Petersburg and Sapporo.
Sectoral visits of organizations and facilities related to construction in cold regions were arranged for the delegation of Hokkaido. The delegation held talks with the representatives of Construction Committee and subject matter experts, visited workshop of the Honored Architect of Russia M.A. Mamoshin, Skandi Klubb residential compound, Dacha of Gromov and Dacha Gauswald as examples of application specific technologies in restoration and preservation of wooden architecture sites.
The Japanese side has taken a particular interest in cooperation in joint development of the Arctic. In the course of the meetings with the management of St. Petersburg Committee on Arctic Affairs and subject matter experts of Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute and St. Petersburg State University, the sides agreed on cooperation in research studies on the Arctic.
During the visit, the delegation also signed an additional Cooperation Agreement between Secondary School No. 83 of Vyborgsky District of St. Petersburg and Ritsumeikan Keisho Private Junior and Senior High School. Pursuant to the conditions of the document, the schools will hold videoconferences, exchange delegations and organize joint workshops on a regular basis.
The delegation of Hokkaido also attended the XXVII International Food Exhibition Peterfood where it made presentations of food commodities from the Prefecture to St. Petersburg residents and visitors.