Consulate Activities

At the Consular Residence on Thursday November 8th, Mr. Stewart W. Holbrook, former Director for Intelligence of the United States Forces Japan, was conferred the Imperial Decoration, The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, for his contribution in strengthening the Japan-US security alliance.
Through his assignments in Japan, at the Joint Intelligence Center Pacific Japan Detachment, at the Seventh Fleet and at the United States Forces Japan, for seven years in total, he has contributed to strengthen intelligence cooperation between Japan and the US, and has worked tirelessly to establish common situational awareness as well as improve interoperability between the two nations. Even after he left Japan and assumed his position as Defense Attaché at the US Embassy in Australia, his efforts to promote trilateral cooperation among Japan, the US and Australia greatly contributed to the deepening of the Japan-US alliance, and to the peace and stability of the Asia Pacific region.
Another example of Mr. Holbrook’s contributions was in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011, when the US military launched “Operation Tomodachi” to support Japan in disaster relief. He gathered and shared necessary information to conduct Operation Tomodachi, which made it possible for both nations to be able to conduct disaster relief operations effectively and efficiently.