The city of Delaware has finalized who will be part of the delegation to visit the sister city in Japan.

The Sakata delegation will include Mayor Carolyn Kay Riggle, City Manager Tom Homan, Ohio Wesleyan University Provost Chuck Stinemetz, Delaware City Schools teacher Joanne Meyer and Jeffrey Sprague of Next Transport, which recently relocated its Marion plant to the city’s industrial park on Pittsburgh Drive. Stinemetz’s wife will be going on the trip but not as part of the delegation.

The group will visit Sakata from April 14 to April 22. The trip includes sightseeing of historic sites, visiting governments and schools and a signing ceremony for the sister city partnership.

Sakata officials will pay for the transportation expenses to and from the Tokyo airport to Sakata along with meals and lodging, Homan said at January’s Sister City meeting. Each member of the city of Delaware’s delegation is responsible for paying his or her own airfare

The delegation will meet a couple times this month including a get acquainted dinner at Typhoon Asian Fusion in downtown, Riggle said.

The delegation is expected to work with The Gazette to provide daily updates about the trip.

Editor’s note: This story is an updated version to clarify that each delegation member is responsible for their airfare to Sakata.