Consul-General Matsumoto's message on His Majesty the Emperor’s Birthday

We at the Consulate-General of Japan in Nashville would like to celebrate His Majesty the Emperor's 62nd birthday today with our friends and partners. The Consulate-General hosted annual celebrations of His Majesty's birthday until 2020. Unfortunately receptions were not held for the past two years in order to avoid contributing to the spread of the novel coronavirus

His Majesty's New Year's video message expressed hope that “we will share each other’s pain and support each other to overcome this difficult situation, while cherishing even more the connections among people. ” I sincerely hope that next year we can return to something more closely resembling our traditional celebration of the His Majesty's birthday and other public events.

Going forward, the Consulate-General is planning a number of in-person and virtual opportunities to actively foster exchange within communities in Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.

On the occasion of His Majesty’s birthday, we pray for good health and prosperity for the people of Japan and our many friends here in the United States. Our thoughts go out to those impacted by COVID-19 and the brave healthcare professionals who continue to work diligently throughout this pandemic. We wish to renew our determination to collaborate and strengthen the bonds between us in the coming year.

Matsumoto Yoichi

Consul-General of Japan, Nashville