【Event Report】2022 National Day Celebration

On February 17, Consul General and Mrs. Hisao Inagaki hosted the 2022 Japanese National Day Celebration online, on the occasion of the birthday of His Majesty the Emperor Naruhito. The event began with the national anthems of Japan and the United States (sung by Ms. Fumi Tagata and with the piano accompaniment of Ms. Aki Fujino), and was followed by video messages from The Honorable Jay Inslee, Governor of Washington State; The Honorable Bruce Harrell, Mayor of Seattle; Ms. Ellen Eskenazi, Chair of the Japan-America Society of the State of Washington; and Mr. Kurt Tokita, Board President of the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Washington.
 
Messages from Chefs Shiro Kashiba and Takeyuki Suetsugu, recipients of the 15th Minister’s Award for Overseas Promotion of Japanese Food, along with videos of their respective award ceremonies held in early February, were also shared with the virtual attendees.
The celebration concluded with Consul General Inagaki presenting the Consul General’s Award to Ms. Narachiyo Sekine for her longstanding efforts to strengthen the relationship between the Japanese and the Japanese American communities in the region through her activities in organizations such as Kisaragi-kai and the Japanese Community Service of Seattle/Seattle Nikkeijin-kai.
(A recording of the event is available here.)