The City and County of Honolulu has a longstanding Sister City program with municipalities that have special links to Honolulu's people, culture and economy. The Honolulu City Council in 1991, in Resolution 91-240, specified that such relationships be with cities that share "a direct historical, cultural, or ethnic relationship with the people of Honolulu," offer benefit to Honolulu's economy, or have other benefits to the City and County of Honolulu.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann, since assuming office in January 2005, has worked hard to reinvigorate existing Sister City relationships. His visits to the Philippines and Japan in 2005 succeeded not only in strengthening our cultural relations with these important Pacific Rim nations but in enhancing and deepening Honolulu's economic ties in the region. Key events in 2006 that will draw international dignitaries and visitors to Honolulu include the city's year-long centennial celebration, the Filipino Trade Centennial Exposition, the Honolulu Festival, and major international sporting events hosted in Hawaii's capital city.