Some local governments in Japan have decided to halt exchange activities with their sister cities in Russia following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine late last month, with a few municipalities openly criticizing the act and sending protest letters over the aggression.
A total of 43 municipalities in Japan have sister cities in Russia, according to the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations. But a majority of them are not considering completely severing ties with their partners.
The city of Hiroshima was planning to celebrate the 50th anniversary of sister-city ties with Volgograd in the southern part of Russia, but said on March 9 it will cancel the dispatch of a delegation led by its mayor originally scheduled for September.