Greeting from Consul General
Greetings to all Japanese nationals living in New England.
And greetings to all Americans, including Japanese Americans, living in New England.
My name is Takeshi Hikihara. I arrived here at the end of January, 2011 to take up the post of Consul General of Japan in Boston. During my tenure, I pledge to do all I can to serve the Japanese population in New England and to bring even further progress to relations between Japan and the six New England states.
In my 29 years in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I have had postings in Senegal, France, South Korea and Russia. Immediately prior to my assignment in Boston I served as Secretary General of the Secretariat for the Japan APEC meeting in 2010. In that capacity I made preparations for Japan to host a year-long series of conferences for heads of state, ministers and high-ranking officials from the 21-member Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation.
Although I have served in many different countries, this is the first time for me to work in the United States. I consider it a particular honor to represent my country in a part of the United States that shares such a special and long history with Japan. At the same time I feel a certain heightened awareness as I explore this important new ground.
Ever since becoming one of the cradles of the 18th century American industrial revolution, New England has continued to play a pioneering role at the cutting edge of the vanguard technologies. Today it is the locus of America’s bio-tech and IT industries. For this reason, many Japanese companies have opened offices here and through their business and research and development activities are contributing to the development of the area.
Greater Boston is also an educational and intellectual center, and features a great concentration of America’s top universities and colleges. Important intellectual work is being carried out in a variety of fields, with many Japanese researchers and students participating in it. This area is also proud of its history, its arts, and its cultural traditions, and renown for its rich and storied relationship with Japan. The supporters of this relationship, Japanese and American alike, are an invaluable treasure for both countries.
The Consulate General of Japan in Boston is dedicated to supporting these activities across many different fields and to making the Japan-U.S. relationship as productive and meaningful as possible. I invite anyone who has ideas or comments about the activities of my office to contact us.
2011. 2
Consul General
Takeshi Hikihara