Lead by Long Beach Mayor Beverly O'Neill, Freemont (CA) Mayor Gus Morrison, and Conference executive director J. Thomas Cochran, the delegation met with mayors of Noboribetsu, Yamagata, Kasai, Takamatsu, Okazaki and Shiki, representing the leadership of the Japan Association of City Mayors. Similar exchanges have taken place in the past between the two mayors' organizations.

The major topic of discussion at this one-day meeting was the "Livability of Cities" and "Promoting Local Economies". In her opening remarks, Mayor O'Neill discussed how her city has used the three "T's" - tourism, technology, trade - to revitalize her community. Development projects such as the aquarium, and the port, and incentives to attract high-technology companies have helped to reinvent the local economy. In his remarks, Mayor Morrison talked about ways his city was stressing the importance of family life with special emphasis on young people. Examples of such programs as a youth advisory board, volunteer emergency response teams, and local recycling programs have helped the city to create a"family friendly" environment. Mr. Cochran talked about the livable communities issues mayors in America are dealing with everyday - public schools, crime, transportation, and the arts.

In the Japanese response, the discussion was lead by the Mayor of Takamatsu, Toshifumi Masuda who is also a vice president of the Japan Association of City Mayors. In his remarks, Mayor Masuda described a major revitalization project, the Sun Port, which will combine shipping, commercial, and retail activities. While he argued these types of projects are important to a city's vitality, he also stressed the need for citizen and volunteer efforts. The Mayor of Yamagata, Kojiro Sato, described how his city was trying to balance agricultural land with industrial development. One method has been to establish an agricultural advisory committee on livable communities issues.

In concluding the meeting, the mayors of the two organizations pledged to work together to find ways to better exchange "best practices" and to continue to hold similar meetings in the future. Following the conference, the Japan Association of City Mayors hosted a reception for the visiting American mayors delegation.