The 30th anniversary was the reason for Deputy Mayor Unterseh's trip to Japan in October. The total delegation consisted of representatives of the Department for International Affairs and Global Sustainability and the Department for Economic Development as well as from Bonn’s public utilities, Fraunhofer FIT and members of the DJB Bonn.

In Tokyo, talks were held with the German ambassador and the heads of important institutions in the city, such as DAAD, the Goethe Institute, ICLEI, Waseda University, United Nations University, DFG.

The delegation then traveled to Nagano, where the topics of sustainability and SDGs were discussed with the Deputy Governor.

In Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, the delegation participated in the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the partnership. The final event was the "Japan-Germany SDGs Symposium 2024 in Kagawa: Sustainable Cities and Environment" at Kagawa University. About 60 people attended in person, while others followed the event online.

On November 26, the 30th anniversary of the cooperation between the two societies was also celebrated with a reception at the Old Town Hall in Bonn. A string trio played Beethoven's music, which might even be more appreciated in Japan than in Germany or in particular here in Bonn, where we are always happy to celebrate the great composer’s works. As a grand finale, the German guests sang Beethoven’s world-famous Ode to Joy together with the delegation from Kagawa.

May the partnership between the societies continue to grow and flourish.