Reykjavík names Tama as new sister city

Reykjavík City Council has approved Tama, a city in Japan, as Reykjavík’s newest sister city, mbl.is reports. A five-member delegation from Tama will visit Reykjavík in October, when the sister-city agreement is due to be signed.

Tama is part of the Greater Tokyo area, about 30 kilometres west of central Tokyo. The city has around 148,000 residents, roughly the same population as Reykjavík.

The relationship between the two cities dates back to preparations for the Tokyo Olympics, which were held in 2021. Tama hosted Iceland’s Olympic and Paralympic teams and later developed closer ties with Iceland, including through the Icelandic embassy in Japan.

Tama has held an annual Iceland Week around 17 June, with cultural events, presentations on Icelandic food and culture, and educational activities for residents and schools.

Former Icelandic President Guðni Th. Jóhannesson visited Tama in 2022 and thanked the city for welcoming Iceland’s Olympic teams. Reykjavík’s former mayor Heiða Björg Hilmisdóttir visited in 2025, when the cities signed a declaration of intent to build friendship and cooperation.

Tama has also established ties with Laugalækjarskóli, a school in Reykjavík. A group of teachers from the school visited Tama in spring 2026.

The proposal presented to the city council by Reykjavík Mayor Hildur Björnsdóttir said the relationship had reached the point where it was appropriate to follow the declaration of intent with a formal sister-city agreement. It also said the decision to develop the relationship had been made during the previous council term and that the process was well advanced before the current majority took office.