Consulate Activities

　　　On December 8, the Consulate General of Japan and Navy Region Hawaii conducted a joint ceremony on Ford Island to memorialize all the lives, both American and Japanese, that were lost in the attack on Pearl Harbor 75 years ago. Around 80 participants took part in the ceremony, including Mr. Ryota Takeda (LDP, Secretary-General of the Japan-Hawaii Legislators’ Friendship Association), Mr. Mikio Shimoji, and Mr. Takayuki Shimizu from the Japanese National Diet, and Governor David Y. Ige, Mayor Kirk Caldwell, and Adm. Thomas B. Fargo, Chairman of the Pearl Harbor 75th Anniversary Committee, from the state of Hawaii. This observance marks the first time that Japan and the United States have collaborated to hold a joint ceremony in this way. The program included statements by Consul General Misawa and Rear Admiral Fuller, Commander, Navy Region Hawaii, and speeches by Mr. Takeda and Mr. Daniel A. Martinez, Chief Historian, National Park Service. In his speech, Consul General Misawa said, "Today's event was born of a simple idea; yet as we gather here to pay tribute to the lives, both American and Japanese, that were lost here in war, 75 years ago, let us take a moment to fully grasp the significance and meaning of this ceremony as a huge milestone marking just how far we have come as two nations and two peoples, where once we were enemies." He concluded his remarks with a dedication "in remembrance of those who lost their lives here seven and a half decades ago, and with hope for continued peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region for generations to come."