Message from Acting Consul General Shinoda

One month has passed since Consul General Ito left his position.

 

During that time, I was invited to various cultural events and meetings and had opportunities to exchange greetings.  As well, I met and welcomed guests at the functions hosted by our Consulate.  From those occasions, I further gained a solid sense that Japanese Canadians and Japanese people in the communities are playing active parts in various fields, striving to sustain, develop and strengthen the friendly relations Japan has with Canada, British Columbia and Yukon, providing correct information on Japan including its culture and people, and making a tremendous contribution to the improvement of the image of Japan.  I take my hat off to them for their hard work.

 

I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere gratitude for that.

 

One of the key roles of the Consulate is sending out accurate information on Japan.  In that regard, at the UBC Robson Square Campus in downtown Vancouver, the Consulate organized a lecture on the economy by Dr. Motoshige Itoh, professor at the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Economics.  A large audience attended the lecture.  Our consulate would like to continue making proactive efforts by hosting similar events to send out correct information on Japan.

 

Another important role of the Consulate is offering local Japanese people safety information and ensuring their security in case of an emergency.  In Haida Gwaii, a little after 8 p.m. on October 27th, an earthquake of magnitude 7.7 occurred, followed by a tsunami, which fortunately didn’t cause serious damage.  After the quake ― while keeping close contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tokyo ― 4 of our Consulate members urgently came to the office and made telephone calls to the Japanese nationals residing in Haida Gwaii and Prince Rupert area, based on the contact information on their Overseas Residential Registration.  This was done in order to ensure their safety as well as to collect on-site information from them.  Some consulate staff also monitored TV reports through the night to keep track of the local information.

 

From the earthquake, I keenly felt the importance of the Overseas Residential Registration, which links local Japanese residents to the Consulate.  Therefore, we kindly ask all Japanese nationals residing in British Columbia and Yukon to register themselves with the Overseas Residency Registration if they haven’t done so yet, and also to inform us whenever their contact information on the Registration changes.  

 

Kinji Shinoda

Acting Consul General

November 13, 2012