A delegation of the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR), composed of four staffs led by Executive Director Hiroshi Ueda visited the NEAR Secretariat on 9 May. "CLAIR and NEAR share many objectives including our goal to promote the development of regional authorities. I hope that both organizations will deepen partnership through information exchange," said Mr. Ueda.

CLAIR was established in July 1988 in response to rising concerns about local-level internationalization in Japan. It has established a network of overseas offices in major cities around the world such as Seoul, New York, London, Paris, Singapore, Sydney and Beijing.