Thurston County officials headed for Japan

A delegation of elected officials from Thurston County and Washington leaves for Japan Thursday.

Washington has a sister-state relationship dating back more than 50 years with Hyogo Prefecture in Japan, where Olympia’s sister city of Kato is located.

State Sen. Karen Fraser said the group of more than 20 includes Olympia City Council members Cheryl Selby and Nathaniel Jones, Thurston County Commissioner Sandra Romero and county Auditor Mary Hall, as well as Fraser and two fellow Senate Democrats, Steve Hobbs of Lake Stevens and John McCoy of Tulalip.

Fraser said travelers would pay for their own trip expenses.

They plan to meet with government officials in Hyogo, visit the Kobe Earthquake Museum to learn about earthquake preparation and recovery, and connect with a trade delegation from Washington that is due to leave Friday for Japan and Korea.

This story was originally published August 27, 2015 at 11:49 AM with the headline "Thurston County officials headed for Japan."