Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs Fumio Kishida visited Los Angeles from May 2nd–4th and met with local organizations and leaders of the Japanese American community during a stopover that reinforced Japan’s ties with the southern California.
On the morning of Friday, May 3rd, the Foreign Minister met with residents at Keiro Retirement Home, an independent living center for Japanese American seniors. From the center’s staff he heard about its history and present state of affairs, and he expressed his respect for the establishment of the organization 40 years ago by founders committed to the community.
Minister Kishida then participated in a lunch meeting with representatives of the Japanese American community for an opinion exchange, hosted by Consul General of Japan Jun Niimi at his residence in Los Angeles. He expressed his gratitude for the efforts by Japanese Americans to promote the Japan-U.S. relationship and the guests shared their thoughts and current involvement in areas such as people-to-people exchanges.
In the afternoon the Foreign Minister visited the Go For Broke Monument in Little Tokyo. Minister Kishida laid a wreath at the monument, which honors the more than 16,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry who fought bravely and overcame great obstacles to serve with distinction in the U.S. armed forces during World War Two. These unique veterans were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for their service in 2011. Three surviving veterans representing the Japanese American units honored at the monument, and Go For Broke National Education Center Chairman Bill Seki greeted the Foreign Minister at the wreath laying ceremony and presented him with a replica of this medal. The event underscored Japan’s strong connection to the Japanese American community and exemplified the enduring but once-unlikely friendship between Japan and the U.S. that has been nurtured in the years following World War Two.
The ceremony capped a visit to the historic core of Little Tokyo that included stops at important centers for the community. At the Little Tokyo Koban, the Minister was briefed on its community activities, and he expressed his gratitude for the important work of the organization in helping not only Los Angeles residents but also Japanese tourists. He later visited the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center and met with representatives of the Japanese American community, including heads of prefectural organizations and cultural associations. He also visited the Japanese American National Museum, where he toured exhibits and viewed a memorial exhibition to the late senator Daniel Inoue, himself a veteran who served in the 442nd regimental combat team. The Minister there had the opportunity to view the Congressional Gold Medal awarded to the Japanese American World War Two veterans, which is currently on a national tour with the Smithsonian Institution and on display at the museum from May 4th through June 9th.
The Foreign Minister’s visit reaffirmed the longstanding friendship between Japan and Los Angeles, which is home to the largest overseas community of persons of Japanese descent—currently more than 180,000—and is an important base of operations for many Japanese companies. The visit came as a stopover following a tour of the nations of Mexico, Peru and Panama aimed at strengthening Japan’s relationship with those Latin America countries.
See a video summary of the visit on YouTube here.
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