Declaration of friendship with Japan Issued by the General Court of New Hampshire and the Bell Ringing Ceremony in Portsmouth on the 120th Anniversary of the Portsmouth Peace Treaty (September 5, 2025)
September 8, 2025
On September 5th, Consul General TAKAHASHI Seiichiro attended a ceremony at the State House in Concord hosted by New Hampshire House Speaker Sherman Packard, held to commemorate the declaration of friendship with Japan issued by the General Court of New Hampshire on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of the Treaty of Portsmouth, the peace treaty that ended the Russo-Japanese War. The event was also attended by New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte, New Hampshire Senate President Sharon Carson, Portsmouth Mayor Deaglan McEachern, and others.
Consul General Takahashi, while highlighting the historical significance of the treaty in modern Japanese history, the mediation of the United States, and the contemporary significance of citizen diplomacy, expressed his appreciation for the historic declarations of friendship with Japan, which reaffirm the friendship and cooperation between Japan and the State of New Hampshire and which were issued for the first time in history.
Subsequently, Consul General Takahashi participated in the Bell Ringing ceremony held in Portsmouth, together with Mr. Charles B. Doleac, President of the Japan-America Society of New Hampshire; U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen; Governor Kelly Ayotte; Speaker Sherman Packard of the New Hampshire House of Representatives; Mayor McEachern of Portsmouth and the citizens of Portsmouth.
Mayor TAKAHASHI Toru of Nichinan City—Portsmouth’s sister city—Chairman KITAGAWA Koichiro of the Nichinan City Council, and other members of the Nichinan delegation, who were visiting the State, also participated in both events. These occasions provided an opportunity to reaffirm the strengthening ties between Japan and the State of New Hampshire.
Consul General Takahashi, while highlighting the historical significance of the treaty in modern Japanese history, the mediation of the United States, and the contemporary significance of citizen diplomacy, expressed his appreciation for the historic declarations of friendship with Japan, which reaffirm the friendship and cooperation between Japan and the State of New Hampshire and which were issued for the first time in history.
Subsequently, Consul General Takahashi participated in the Bell Ringing ceremony held in Portsmouth, together with Mr. Charles B. Doleac, President of the Japan-America Society of New Hampshire; U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen; Governor Kelly Ayotte; Speaker Sherman Packard of the New Hampshire House of Representatives; Mayor McEachern of Portsmouth and the citizens of Portsmouth.
Mayor TAKAHASHI Toru of Nichinan City—Portsmouth’s sister city—Chairman KITAGAWA Koichiro of the Nichinan City Council, and other members of the Nichinan delegation, who were visiting the State, also participated in both events. These occasions provided an opportunity to reaffirm the strengthening ties between Japan and the State of New Hampshire.
