Consulate-General of Japan in New York
在ニューヨーク日本国総領事館

Vol.24
July 2009

G8 Summit 2009 in L’Aquila
On July 8, Prime Minister Aso visited L'Aquila, Italy, to attend the G8 Summit. Immediately upon arrival, the Prime Minister attended a G8 working lunch. In the discussion on economic issues during the working lunch, Prime Minister Aso introduced the initiatives of Japan, which have been taken through a series of economic countermeasures, and expressed the intention to advance efforts to restore fiscal health going forward. In the discussion on global warming, the Prime Minister stated, "We need to establish a framework in which major emitters will fulfill their responsibilities." He emphasized the importance of participation by China ...
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Professor Setsuko M. Nishi of CUNY Honored by the Government of Japan
Professor Setsuko Matsunaga Nishi of the City University of New York was honored with The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon by the Government of Japan for her outstanding and lifelong contributions to the promotion of civil rights, sociological study, and well-being of Japanese Americans on April 29th, 2009. She is Professor Emerita of Sociology at Brooklyn College and the Graduate School of the City University of New York as well as the founding president of the Asian American Federation, Inc. She is also a former chair of the New York Advisory Committee of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. Read more...

Japan Coast Guard Training Vessel “Kojima” Visits New York City
The Japan Coast Guard training vessel “Kojima” visited the Port of New York from June 16-23, 2009, as part of a three month deep-sea training exercise. The Kojima departed from Japan in mid-May and will have visited Honolulu, New York, Piraeus (Greece), and Singapore by the end of this training cruise. The purpose of this exercise is not only to provide the necessary knowledge and technical training for the Japan Coast Guard personnel, but also, by visiting foreign ports, to provide the Japan Coast Guard with an opportunity to gain greater insight into international affairs and to promote international friendship.
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The Story of Kanrin Maru and the First Japanese Diplomatic Mission to the US
The forthcoming year, 2010, will mark the 150th anniversary of the first Japanese diplomatic mission to the United States, which was accompanied by the Kanrin Maru, the first Japanese-navigated steamship. The mission was a historic expedition, both because the Japanese emissaries were making their first journey to America, and because of the unprecedented excitement with which they were greeted when they arrived in the United States.

In this month’s Japan Info Culture Connection, we feature 2010 as the upcoming 150th anniversary of the first Japanese mission to the U.S. that was sent by the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1860. As we approach the commemorative year, I feel that it is extremely important to look back on our history and reflect on the great individuals who laid the foundation for our two countries’ relations.

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