Conference of Japanese, Russian mayors commences in Hakodate+

HAKODATE, Japan, Aug. 19 Kyodo - A two-day conference of mayors of coastal cities of the Russian Far East and Japan began Wednesday in Hakodate, Hokkaido, to discuss economic cooperation and tourism promotion among the cities.

''The relationship between Japan and Russia has shown great improvement in
terms of trading and there is a promise for further developments (of economic
ties),'' Niigata Mayor Akira Shinoda, representing the Japanese mayors, said in
an opening speech.
This year's conference is perceived as significant as the effects of the global
economic downturn are prevalent among the coastal cities.
A total of 18 Japanese cities including Hakodate, Niigata and Kanazawa, and 10
Russian cities including Khabarovsk are taking part in the 22nd conference,
which started in 1970, when Russia was part of the Soviet Union, and the two
sides have been taking turns hosting the forum ever since.
On the agenda for Wednesday are the promotion of trade and utilization of
ports, while tourism expansion is slated for discussion on Thursday.
The meeting will wrap up with the issuance of a joint communique summarizing
the two days of discussions.
==Kyodo