From Japan to Palestine: Portsmouth's global friendships continue to grow

From visiting Palestinian vicars to welcoming Japanese school pupils, Portsmouth has hosted visitors from its twinned, sister and friendship cities throughout the first half of 2026.

Portsmouth City Council’s twinning committee met to review the activities and exchanges between the city and its twin, sister and friendship cities.

Twin and sister city agreements are formal partnerships between two cities to encourage cultural and diplomatic ties, while friendship links are similar but less formal.

Caen, France

Portsmouth has been twinned with Caen in Normandy since 1987, a year after the international ferry port was established.

Caen’s deputy mayor, Nicolas Escach, visited Portsmouth for the Mayor Making ceremony in May. Lord Mayor Councillor Abdul Kadir hosted him and accompanying officers for dinner that evening.

The cities also discussed the upcoming D-Day commemorations on 6 June. As a result, pupils and teachers from three Portsmouth schools were invited to attend and take part in Caen’s D-Day events. The Lord Mayor, Lady Mayoress and Cllr Chris Atwell also attended the ceremonies.

Images of Queen Elizabeth II visiting Portsmouth were sent to Caen for an exhibition marking what would have been her 100th birthday. The exhibition is on display at Caen Town Hall until 30 September.

Looking ahead, discussions are under way to mark the 40th anniversary of the twinning next year.

Duisburg, Germany

Portsmouth has been twinned with the west German city since 1950 as an act of reconciliation after the Second World War.

Portsmouth hosted Duisburg Innovation Hub’s Internationalisation Manager for three days in February during South Coast Business Week. The visit included tours of Lakeside, Portsmouth International Port and Dunsbury Park, as well as business networking events and meetings with local companies.

Deputy Mayor Klabuhn also visited for Mayor Making. The visit included the Mary Rose Museum, Hotwalls Studios, the Adventure Playground and Youth Club teams, the coastal defences and Southsea Castle.

In June, a group of 20 residents travelled to the Dragon Boat Regatta in Duisburg in partnership with the British German Society.

Maizuru, Japan

A sister city relationship between Portsmouth and Maizuru was established in 1998 to encourage tourism between the two cities.

At the end of March, 10 students from Maizuru visited Portsmouth for a week, staying with local families while attending English classes and visiting the Spinnaker Tower, Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery, and the Mary Rose.

The wife, daughters and granddaughters of the late Mayor Emori also visited the Torii gate in the Japanese Garden in Southsea, which he officially opened in 2000.

Birzeit, Palestine

After the cabinet approved plans in November 2025 to pursue a friendship agreement with Birzeit, Father Diab, a pastor from the town, visited Portsmouth in February.

He met the Lord Mayor, council leader Cllr Chris Atwell and residents interested in forming a friendship group. He was also given a letter for the Mayor of Birzeit, toured the city and met the Dean of Portsmouth Cathedral.

The Mayor of Birzeit has since expressed support for the link, and a Memorandum of Understanding is being reviewed. Progress has been delayed following recent elections and changes to council committees, but the draft agreement will be considered as soon as possible.

Councillor Russell Simpson thanked officers for the reports for having “so much detail”.

Cllr Chris Atwell said he was pleased the level of twinning activity could be discussed in a public meeting and thanked volunteers for their support.

Portsmouth has relationships with other cities in Canada, Falkland Islands, Australia, Israel and China.