Vermont signs sister state pact with Japanese prefecture

MONTPELIER, Vt. – Vermont Republican Gov. Phil Scott has signed a sister state agreement with the governor of a Japanese prefecture.

Scott welcomed Gov. Shinji Hirai of Tottori prefecture to Montpelier on Wednesday. The signing was celebrated with a ceremony where traditional Japanese musicians performed.

Scott said he hopes the agreement will facilitate future trade and tourism.

Vermont has partnered with Tottori on educational and cultural exchanges for the last two decades, including an exchange between students at Tottori University’s Medical School and University of Vermont’s College of Medicine.

Scott highlighted the similarities between Vermont and Tottori at the ceremony. Both are mountainous with populations around 600,000. Tottori is the smallest Japanese prefecture by population, while Vermont has the second smallest population after Wyoming.