Consul-General Watanabe attends UT Japan Center Inauguration Ceremony

On Friday, August 28, Consul-General Watanabe attended the UT Japan Center Inauguration Ceremony  at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The Center aims to serve as a hub for Japan studies and U.S.-Japan relations research in Tennessee and the surrounding region. The Center’s activities are based on three pillars: transdisciplinary research, professional development, and public engagement. In his remarks, Consul-General Watanabe offered his congratulations on the Center’s establishment and expressed his hope that the Center will advance scholarship across diverse fields as an educational base for Japan studies and U.S.-Japan relations, cultivate outstanding talent, and thereby deepen understanding of Japan. He also noted that the Center will further develop industry–academia collaboration with Japanese companies and help take U.S.-Japan economic relations to the next phase. He further commented that the Japan Center will serve as a hub for disseminating information on Japan and Japanese culture, leveraging the strong foundation of long-standing grassroots exchanges in Knoxville to foster affinity for Japan and promote understanding of the country. We wish the UT Japan Center continued success in the years ahead.