NEWPORT – The city of Newport will celebrate its 60th anniversary as a sister city with Mombetsu, Japan with a tree planting ceremony on Saturday, May 16.

City officials, members of a delegation from Mombetsu and representatives from Newport’s sister city committee will participate in a commemorative tree planting and plaque dedication honoring six decades of connection between the two coastal communities located 4,600 miles apart. Newport Mayor Jan Kaplan will also present the Key to the City to Mombetsu’s mayor, recognizing the shared commitment to global friendship.

The Newport-Mombetsu sister city relationship began in 1964 when a Mombetsu resident reached out to the Newport Rotary Club, noting the cities shared location along the 44th parallel and common ties as port communities. Since then, the partnership has grown into an exchange of culture, education, and community engagement, including delegation visits, student exchanges, and collaborative events.

The ceremony will be at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, May 16, at Mombetsu Sister City Park, 620 S.W. Neff Way.