New Year's Greetings from Consul General MUROTA Kosei
Dear residents of Southern California and the State of Arizona,
I wish all a Happy New Year filled with good health and happiness in the year ahead.
One of the major events coming up in 2026 is the FIFA World Cup, to be held from June to July. We expect many visitors from Japan will travel to this region once again this year.
The most important mission of the Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles is to provide high-quality consular services in an efficient manner. For Japanese nationals who have registered an Overseas Residential Registration (Zairyū Todoke), we have been sending safety information by e-mail. Since my arrival, I have particularly focused on sharing information in a clear and timely fashion. For example, when Japanese travelers were robbed in the City of Los Angeles in September, we created a map showing the incident location and shared the link in a consular e-mail. We have also sent frequent safety notices, including disaster-related information in Arizona. We strive to deliver safety information that is easy to understand and in a timely manner. We strongly encourage all Japanese nationals who have not yet registered an Overseas Residential Registration to do so using the QR code at the end of this message. Personal information will always be protected.
Since assuming my duties in August, I have had the opportunity to meet many Japanese Americans and have come to deeply appreciate their tremendous contributions to the development of American society in the postwar era. These achievements are the result of the long-standing efforts of nisei, sansei, and the generation known as shin-issei. I would like to express my sincere respect. At the same time, in order to strengthen and develop the Japanese American community further, I hope to see greater leadership from younger generations: yonsei, gosei, and the shin-nisei. The Japanese Consulate will continue to support the activities of younger generation Japanese Americans.
While many challenges face the Japanese economy today, the economies of Southern California and Arizona offer much potential. I hope that Japanese companies operating in this region will identify new business opportunities unique to this region, with the perspective that they are also contributing to the future of Japan’s economy. It is essential for Japanese companies to not view each other merely as competitors or to not remain indifferent to one another, but instead to work together with a united “All-Japan” spirit. Fostering this spirit and expanding opportunities for Japanese companies to thrive in this region is a core mission of the Japanese Consulate, and we are committed to undertaking this steady and hard work. Towards this effort, we also hope to enlist the support of the Japanese American younger generations mentioned earlier.
There are many Japanese and Japanese American athletes and staff working in this region’s sports world whose achievements are not yet well known. We have launched a project to highlight and support them through the Japanese Consulate’s social media platforms. Are you familiar with female professional boxer Mizuki Hiruta? As the WBO Super Flyweight world champion, she is already well known among boxing fans here. Please take a look at the Instagram post introducing Ms. Hiruta at the end of this message. If there are others who would like to be featured by the Japanese Consulate, we welcome your messages via DM.
Japanese diplomacy faces numerous challenges. Even in such circumstances, we will continue to engage robustly and diligently in economic and cultural exchanges here in this region. In turn, this ultimately works to support Japan itself. While listening to your views and feedback, I will continue to dedicate myself to further strengthening Japan–U.S. relations here in Southern California and Arizona.
I kindly ask for your continued understanding and support for the activities of the Consulate throughout this year.
Consul General of Japan in Los Angeles
Murota Kosei
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IG（Post Introducing boxer Mizuki Hiruta） |   |