{"id":235606,"date":"2025-09-18T05:25:30","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T05:25:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/235606\/"},"modified":"2025-09-18T05:25:30","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T05:25:30","slug":"dallas-council-member-adam-bazaldua-on-10-day-trip-to-japan-as-city-looks-at-budget-cuts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/235606\/","title":{"rendered":"Dallas council member Adam Bazaldua on 10-day trip to Japan as city looks at budget cuts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dallas City Council member Adam Bazaldua is in the midst of a 10-day visit to extend Dallas\u2019 relationship with its sister city<\/a>, Sendai. <\/p>\n

According to Bazaldua\u2019s office, the Office of Government Affairs funded the trip, estimated at costing just under $6,000, through the American Rescue Plan Act. The money was reallocated in February 2024 to rebuild international business and tourism.<\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n

\"Ian<\/p>\n

The Dallas Morning News submitted a public information request for records relating to the trip expenses.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy goal on this trip is to reinforce the long-standing friendship between Dallas and Sendai, highlight our shared history, and explore future opportunities for collaboration,\u201d Bazaldua said in a statement. \u201cIt is also an opportunity to showcase Dallas as a truly international city that values cultural exchange, economic opportunity, and cooperation with global partners.\u201d <\/p>\n

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Sendai, Japan, is one of Dallas\u2019 nine sister cities, having joined the list in 1997. Following the earthquake and tsunami of 2011, Dallas residents supported<\/a> their partner city in its recovery efforts, according to the Office of Government Affairs.<\/p>\n

Jake Anderson, director of the Office of Government Affairs, said Bazaldua was invited by the Sister Cities International network in his previous capacity as deputy mayor pro tem. <\/p>\n

Anderson said that the process of selecting who attends these international trips is handled on a case-by-case basis and that the mayor and council members usually decide which events to attend, with input from city staff. <\/p>\n

Ties with Japan <\/p>\n

Bazaldua said that on the current trip he met local leaders and saw sites where Dallas\u2019 contributions helped rebuild Sendai. He also spoke at the Sister Cities International conference<\/a> in Izumisano, Japan.<\/p>\n

The Japan America Society of Dallas-Fort Worth hosted its annual Sun and Start Legacy Award dinner in May at the Hyatt Regency Dallas, and Bazaldua and council member Gay Willis gave remarks. <\/p>\n

According to the 2025 Dallas State and Local Fiscal Recovery Report, the Office of Government Affairs purchased a $2,500 institutional membership with the Japan-America Society of Dallas-Fort Worth<\/a>. <\/p>\n

The report mentions Sendai as \u201cDallas\u2019 most active friendship city.\u201d <\/p>\n

In the same month, according to the report, a delegation of sports ambassadors from Dallas \u2014 including runners Mani Alavi and Allison Lewis and Macs Reynold, a Dallas government affairs senior \u2014 went to Sendai for the international half-marathon.<\/p>\n

Japan picked Arlington for the 2026 Japan-Texas Economic Summit. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott\u2019s office cites Japanese direct investment as the top generator of new jobs in the state, with over $31 billion in trade flowing between Texas and Japan annually,<\/a> The News reported. <\/p>\n

Budget deficit <\/p>\n

Last year, Bazaldua and four other Dallas City Council members traveled to the country for a week to explore and experience its high-speed bullet train network. At the time, the city was considering approving a similar train system in Texas.<\/p>\n

The train remains only a vision, following the termination of a federal grant to help fund the bullet train by President Donald Trump\u2019s<\/a> administration in April. The council members\u2019 trip to Japan has become a talking point for local activists who are against the city\u2019s spending.<\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n

\"Dallas<\/p>\n

Bazaldua, who represents District 7, most of which is in southern Dallas, left Sept. 9 and will return Sept. 19. The city has not said who else was in the delegation.<\/p>\n

The Dallas City Council was expected to hold a final vote Sept. 17 for the city\u2019s $5.2 billion budget, a meeting he joined virtually. <\/p>\n

Bazaldua\u2019s trip comes as the city\u2019s proposed budget faces millions of dollars in cuts, including possibly closing nine community pools. <\/p>\n

Bazaldua posted photos of his trip on Facebook<\/a> and Instagram, thanking the city of Sendai for hosting him. Bazaldua said he will represent Dallas at the World Expo in Osaka, Kansai, later this week. <\/p>\n