Shawnee is a city in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 28,692 at the 2000 census. The city is part of the Oklahoma City-Shawnee Combined Statistical Area; it is also the county seat of Pottawatomie County and the principal city of the Shawnee Micropolitan Statistical Area. Located on Interstate 40, Shawnee is just 30 minutes east of attractions in downtown Oklahoma City. To the east and northeast, the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System offers barge access to the Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes region. Shawnee has a sister city program with Nikaho in Akita, Japan. This is most likely due to the presence of a TDK plant in Shawnee. Every year junior high school students from Shawnee visit Nikaho in July, and Japanese junior high school students visit Shawnee in September.