410-Meter Road Bears Witness to Twin-City Friendship! 'Tai-Nan Street' Named Near Flying Tiger General’s Hometown, Tainan and Mito’s Bond Crosses the Sea

A single road connects two cities across the ocean!

Tainan City and Mito City in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, have formed a profound bond through the story of 'Flying Tiger General' Shigeharu Sugawara, officially establishing a sister-city relationship in November 2024.

To honor the friendship between Tainan and Mito, Mito City has named a 410-meter-long road in its city center, located near the former residence site of Shigeharu Sugawara, as 'Tai-Nan Street' (Tai-Nan Dori). This marks the beginning of a lasting friendship that originates from the hometown of the Flying Tiger General and continues across the sea to the present day.

Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che stated that the connection between Tainan and Mito is profound and unique, with the most significant link being Shigeharu Sugawara, the 'Flying Tiger General,' who was born in Mito and has long been venerated by residents of Tainan’s Annan District. Tainan previously named a newly constructed road near the Flying Tiger General Temple 'Mito Street,' reciprocating the decades-long friendship between the two cities.

Mayor Huang emphasized that road names carry concrete and enduring symbolic significance. Mito’s naming of 'Tai-Nan Street' near Sugawara’s former residence is not only a gesture of friendship toward Tainan but also symbolizes the deepening and enduring relationship between the two cities—from grassroots bonds and urban exchanges to their formal alliance.

'Tai-Nan Street' runs between Gokken-cho and Izumi-cho in Mito City, adjacent to the site of Sugawara’s former residence. It is also close to key cultural facilities such as the Mito Art Tower and the City Hall. In the future, 'Tai-Nan Street' will become a historically significant road in central Mito, offering more local residents the opportunity to learn about the story between Tainan and Mito.

According to the Tainan City Government, exchanges between the two cities go beyond symbolic road naming. In recent years, cooperation has expanded into sports, education, and agriculture, with tangible results steadily accumulating.

Notably, elementary school students from Tainan and Mito have long engaged in dodgeball exchanges. Mito has also actively introduced Tainan fruits—such as pineapples and mangoes—into school lunches, allowing Mito children to learn about Tainan through local cuisine.

Additionally, Mito Gokken Elementary School, Sugawara’s alma mater, has begun online exchanges with Tainan’s Anqing Elementary School. Through activities such as introducing local foods and origami, children from both cities are learning about each other’s cultures, ensuring that the story of the 'Flying Tiger General' continues to be passed down across generations and borders.

The Tainan City Government noted that Flying Tiger General Lieutenant Shigeharu Sugawara was born in Mito, Japan. During the final stages of World War II, while on a mission in the Tainan area, he demonstrated heroic self-sacrifice to protect local residents. Grateful for his noble act, Tainan residents have long worshipped him, building a temple in his honor. This has created a unique local faith and international friendship, serving as a crucial starting point for exchanges between Tainan and Mito.

This transnational bond, transcending time and space, has evolved from grassroots faith to city diplomacy in recent years. After officially establishing a sister-city relationship in November 2024, exchanges have become more diverse, building a stable urban exchange network through student sports, school education, and agricultural cooperation.

The Tainan City Government highlighted that Mito City is the capital of Ibaraki Prefecture, renowned for historical figures like Tokugawa Mitsukuni (Mito Kōmon), Kairakuen—one of Japan’s three great gardens—and Mito natto. The naming of 'Tai-Nan Street' is not only a concrete symbol of the two cities’ friendship but also leaves a clear imprint of Tainan and Mito’s urban stories on each other’s lands.

From 'Mito Street' in Tainan to 'Tai-Nan Street' in Mito, these two roads face each other across the sea, bearing witness to the international friendship forged by the Flying Tiger General.

The Tainan City Government stated that it will continue to deepen cooperation with Mito City in culture, education, sports, agriculture, and urban exchanges, ensuring that this special bond, which began with the Flying Tiger General, continues to flourish between the two cities.