Consul General Sunaga hosted a reception to celebrate the Emperor’s Birthday (December 4, 2014)

    On December 4th, Consul General （CG） Kazuo Sunaga hosted a reception celebrating the Emperor’s Birthday, December 23, at the official residence. Approximately 200 guests attended this reception including Lynne Riley (Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Revenue) Tom Taylor (GA Representative) BJ Pak (GA Representative) William Bell (Birmingham, Alabama Mayor) Bud Kitchin (Lincoln, Alabama Mayor) Rob March (JASG President/UPS Vice President) Ahmet Bozer (Coca Cola International President) Richard Griffiths (Vice President at CNN) Morimoto Masayuki (Chairman of JCCGA) Japanese Residents, Officials, dignitaries, government, etc.

    Following a piano performance of both the Japanese and American National Anthems by Ms Kaoru Takeda, CG Sunaga expressed his gratitude to guests for attending the celebration honoring his Majesty the Emperor’s 81st birthday. CG Sunaga went on to speak about the notable accomplishments and various efforts to strengthen ties between Japan and the 5 state jurisdiction of the Consulate throughout this year. 2014 marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Consulate General of Japan in Atlanta; a House Resolution was adopted by the Georgia House of Representatives to honor this occasion and CG Sunaga was a guest speaker on the House floor. CG Sunaga also conveyed his hope to work together with all the concerned players in the Southeast for continued success in strengthening relations with Japan.

    Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Revenue, Lynne Riley gave a congratulatory message on behalf of Governor Nathan Deal, expressing the importance of Georgia’s economic relations with Japan, and his hope to deepen the relationship between Georgia and Japan, the Consulate, and the Japanese community in the future. Birmingham Mayor Bill William spoke about the upcoming SUES-Japan conference which will be held in Birmingham next year as part of a continued effort to further develop relations between Japan and Alabama. Finally, the ceremony concluded with a toast proposed by Mr. Ahmet Bozer, President of Coca-Cola International.

    During the reception, a video screening of His Majesty the Emperor’s activities was shown. We also had an exhibition to introduce to the guests the Japanese companies operating in the Southeast under the banner of "Together We Succeed - Japanese Manufacturers / Businesses in the US Southeast." Product samples, miniatures, related good as well as promotional video and slideshow from about 60 Japanese companies from Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia were on display. As part of the Japanese culture introduction, flower arrangements from Ikebana International decorated the venue, and sake from Japan was provided at the reception.

For more information please follow the link to the GA Asian Times website:http://gasiantimes.com/?p=11745