2024 New Year’s Message from Consul General Kenko Sone
2024/1/1
I would like to wish a Happy New Year to our friends in Southern California and Arizona.
I have entered my second year since being posted to this region in September 2022. In my time here, I have focused on meeting with as many people as possible. I am deeply grateful to all, including Japanese nationals, members of the Japanese American community, and all friends of Japan, who have warmly welcomed me.
As 2024 dawns, the Japan-U.S. relationship is as strong an alliance as it has ever been. Yet, we find ourselves at a turning point in history, with the global security environment in a precarious situation, underscoring how favorable ties between nations are based on unwavering efforts by all parties to achieve peace. As we usher in a new year, I would like to build and cultivate people-to-people connections at a grassroots level in various regions, communities and fields, and thus contribute to further elevating our close Japan-U.S. relations.
This region is home to the largest population of Japanese nationals outside of Japan, one of the largest Japanese American populations, and also a major gateway to Japan. As such, consular duties are one of our most important jobs. Online applications for passports and visas began at the end of March 2023, followed by online applications and payments for certificates from the end of November. Our office will continue to strive to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals and also to make various services more accessible.
With resumption of face-to-face activities after the pandemic last year, the Consulate General of Japan has sought to revitalize interactions and exchanges in different fields as we look ahead to the future.
Japan and California are neighbors connected through the Pacific Ocean. Our economic ties are firmly underpinned by cooperation between economic organizations on both sides of the Pacific and the business activities of private-sector companies. In 2023, the U.S. government designated investment bases for domestic hydrogen infrastructure, with the State of California at the forefront. Going forward, through the demonstration projects and related infrastructure investment at ports, along with expectations toward Japan’s leading hydrogen technology, we are anticipating further expansion of economic ties between Japan and California. The Japanese Consulate will strongly support public-private initiatives. We will also work with Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Japanese restaurants, and food industry representatives to promote further growth and exports of Japanese food and alcoholic beverages.
In the field of public diplomacy and culture, the Japanese consulate will work with JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles and the Japan Foundation Los Angeles to further promote awareness and appreciation of Japan. In Southern California, Japanese culture and Japanese language is widely accessible and well known. In addition to promoting Japanese language education among U.S. nationals, we will further support Japanese heritage language (Keisho Nihongo) learners in the Japanese American community, and Japanese nationals. As for the cultural field, our office will strive to strengthen the Japanese presence of movies, music and other entertainment field content in the U.S. in addition to promotion of traditional Japanese culture.
At the same time, we hope Japanese American leaders in different fields in the U.S. will solidify ties with their counterparts in Japan and work together towards strengthening our bilateral relationship even further. In particular, putting more emphasis on younger, next-generation leaders, we will continue our efforts to create opportunities for their collaborations.
Since assuming the post of Consul General, I have visited the State of Arizona five times. I met with Governor of Arizona Katie Hobbs and exchanged our views regarding future prospects about our relations between Japan and Arizona in the area of economic opportunities and tourism. We shared the views to work towards further strengthening such areas. Seeing remarkable Arizona’s economic conditions, marked by economic growth and a population increase, we feel stronger attention toward the participation of Japanese companies in Arizona. In recent years, our office has encouraged interactions between Japanese businesses interested in entering Arizona and local municipal governments in the state, and also arranged such events as economic seminars. Going forward, we will continue to support further strengthening of the relationship between Japan and Arizona. Keeping in mind the importance of an ever improving living environment as Japanese companies expand into Arizona, we will be engaged in the promotion of Japanese food and cultural exchanges.
To conclude, I offer my best wishes to Japanese nationals, Japanese Americans, and all friends of Japan in Southern California and Arizona. Wishing all a Happy New Year, full of good health and prosperity. May Japan-U.S. relations deepen further in the New Year!
Kenko Sone
Consul General of Japan in Los Angeles
I have entered my second year since being posted to this region in September 2022. In my time here, I have focused on meeting with as many people as possible. I am deeply grateful to all, including Japanese nationals, members of the Japanese American community, and all friends of Japan, who have warmly welcomed me.
As 2024 dawns, the Japan-U.S. relationship is as strong an alliance as it has ever been. Yet, we find ourselves at a turning point in history, with the global security environment in a precarious situation, underscoring how favorable ties between nations are based on unwavering efforts by all parties to achieve peace. As we usher in a new year, I would like to build and cultivate people-to-people connections at a grassroots level in various regions, communities and fields, and thus contribute to further elevating our close Japan-U.S. relations.
This region is home to the largest population of Japanese nationals outside of Japan, one of the largest Japanese American populations, and also a major gateway to Japan. As such, consular duties are one of our most important jobs. Online applications for passports and visas began at the end of March 2023, followed by online applications and payments for certificates from the end of November. Our office will continue to strive to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals and also to make various services more accessible.
With resumption of face-to-face activities after the pandemic last year, the Consulate General of Japan has sought to revitalize interactions and exchanges in different fields as we look ahead to the future.
Japan and California are neighbors connected through the Pacific Ocean. Our economic ties are firmly underpinned by cooperation between economic organizations on both sides of the Pacific and the business activities of private-sector companies. In 2023, the U.S. government designated investment bases for domestic hydrogen infrastructure, with the State of California at the forefront. Going forward, through the demonstration projects and related infrastructure investment at ports, along with expectations toward Japan’s leading hydrogen technology, we are anticipating further expansion of economic ties between Japan and California. The Japanese Consulate will strongly support public-private initiatives. We will also work with Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Japanese restaurants, and food industry representatives to promote further growth and exports of Japanese food and alcoholic beverages.
In the field of public diplomacy and culture, the Japanese consulate will work with JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles and the Japan Foundation Los Angeles to further promote awareness and appreciation of Japan. In Southern California, Japanese culture and Japanese language is widely accessible and well known. In addition to promoting Japanese language education among U.S. nationals, we will further support Japanese heritage language (Keisho Nihongo) learners in the Japanese American community, and Japanese nationals. As for the cultural field, our office will strive to strengthen the Japanese presence of movies, music and other entertainment field content in the U.S. in addition to promotion of traditional Japanese culture.
At the same time, we hope Japanese American leaders in different fields in the U.S. will solidify ties with their counterparts in Japan and work together towards strengthening our bilateral relationship even further. In particular, putting more emphasis on younger, next-generation leaders, we will continue our efforts to create opportunities for their collaborations.
Since assuming the post of Consul General, I have visited the State of Arizona five times. I met with Governor of Arizona Katie Hobbs and exchanged our views regarding future prospects about our relations between Japan and Arizona in the area of economic opportunities and tourism. We shared the views to work towards further strengthening such areas. Seeing remarkable Arizona’s economic conditions, marked by economic growth and a population increase, we feel stronger attention toward the participation of Japanese companies in Arizona. In recent years, our office has encouraged interactions between Japanese businesses interested in entering Arizona and local municipal governments in the state, and also arranged such events as economic seminars. Going forward, we will continue to support further strengthening of the relationship between Japan and Arizona. Keeping in mind the importance of an ever improving living environment as Japanese companies expand into Arizona, we will be engaged in the promotion of Japanese food and cultural exchanges.
To conclude, I offer my best wishes to Japanese nationals, Japanese Americans, and all friends of Japan in Southern California and Arizona. Wishing all a Happy New Year, full of good health and prosperity. May Japan-U.S. relations deepen further in the New Year!
Kenko Sone
Consul General of Japan in Los Angeles