EVENTS 2011

Holiday Speech in Hiroshima
December 15, 2011－CG Linehan speaks to the Nichi-Bei Kyokai of Hiroshima on the topic, 'My Nichi-Bei Kankei, Your Nichi-Bei Kankei'.

December 14 – Courtesy Call
Consul General Linehan presents Kyoto Mayor Daisaku Kadokawa with a Japanese-language copy of President Obama’s “The Audacity of Hope”.

Gifted and Talented
December 11, 2011 - Sight-impaired musical prodigy Matthew Whitaker appears with Consul General Linehan and husband Emerson Kanegusuke following a Sunday concert at the CG’s residence.

Kwansei Gakuin University Visa Outreach
December 9, 2011－Vice Consul Vi Nhan and Visa Assistant Takatori Tomoko gave a presentation on the visa application process to Kwansei Gakuin University students and a talk for 30 exchange graduate students from Hong Kong Polytechnic University on “Relations between America, Japan and China.”

Regional Affairs
December 7, 2011 - Pacific Forum Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) representatives discuss the U.S.-Japan Alliance and East Asian regional security issues.

Questions and Answers on Education USA
December 1, 2011－Public Affairs staff discuss Foreign Service work and “Education USA” with students from Hiroshima’s Asakita High School.

Encouraging Entrepreneurship
November 29, 2011 - Speaker Elmira Bayrasli addressed a group at the Kansai NPO Alliance on the merits of fostering start-ups.

Getting to Know You
November 21, 2011 - Local civic group ‘Japan American Women of the Kansai’ meeting with the spouse of Consul General Emerson Kanegusuke to discuss upcoming bi-national exchanges.

For Love of the Game
November 13, 2011 - Sports envoy Cal Ripken, Jr. exchanges stories with Sachio Kinugasa, formerly with the Hiroshima Carp. A Japan baseball legend himself, Mr. Kinugasa shares the ‘Tetsujin’ (‘Iron Man’) moniker with his American counterpart. The meeting took place during a sports-clinic at Kyoto’s Wakasa Stadium.

Reaching Out
November 11, 2011 - Osaka Consul General Patrick Linehan speaks to an enthusiastic group of students at Kagawa University in Takamatsu about learning languages and study abroad.

Visa Outreach at Kinran Senri Junior High School
November 7, 2011－Vice Consul Vi Nhan delivered a speech on student visa procedures, the merit of studying in the U.S. and the importance of learning English at Kinran Senri Junior High School. She also conducted a quiz with one of the teachers to test the students’ knowledge about the U.S.

Hiroshima Prefectural Library ‘American Shelf’
November 3, 2011－Consul General Patrick Linehan and Hiroshima Prefectural Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki shake hands following the opening of the American Shelf. The event took place at the Hiroshima Prefectural Library, where books on American study, history and geography were donated by the U.S. Government.

Visa Outreach at Akifuchu High School in Hiroshima
October 28, 2011 - Consulate staff discuss the benefits of U.S. study, and American culture with 150 students from Hiroshima’s Akifuchu high school.

Class Is in Session
October 20, 2011－Consul General Patrick Linehan conducts a “What Does a Diplomat Do?” question-and-answer session with Tottori Prefecture’s Kurayoshi Nishi High School students.

Toward a Sustainable Civil Society
October 18, 2011－The Kansai American Center presented a speaker program in collaboration with the Nippon Volunteer Network Active in Disaster. Ms. Faye Stone, Emergency Management Director, North Carolina Commission Volunteerism and Community Service, delivered a speech titled "Toward a Sustainable Civil Society; The Role of NGOs, NPOs, and CSR". She also shared unique and successful lessons learned from post-disaster experiences in the United States.

Consul General Linehan at the ‘Walk-a-Thon’ October 15, 2011－Consul General Patrick Linehan provided opening remarks at Saturday’s ‘Walk-a-Thon’, held on the grounds of Osaka Castle. The event was sponsored by the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan, and this year’s theme focused on “Women in the Workplace”.

‘FM COCOLO’ Radio Show
October 11, 2011 － Public Affairs Officer Greg Kay discusses the American Chamber of Commerce (ACCJ)-hosted ‘Walk-A-Thon’, taking place this weekend in Osaka to benefit working women. The segment aired on the daily English-language ‘FM Radio Cocolo’ show.

"The Changing Landscape of American Journalism"
October 5, 2011 - Jim Brady, Leader of ‘Project Thunderdome’ for the Journal Register Company, presented on current trends and innovative media business models at the Kansai American Center.

‘Operation Tomodachi’
September 29, 2011－Yokosuka-based Naval Commander Paul McClure explains how the U.S. military’s ‘Operation Tomodachi’ worked hand-in-glove with the Japanese Self-Defense Force following the events of March 11. His discussion took place before a large Japan-America Society of Osaka audience.

Visa Outreach at Otemon Gakuin University
September 29, 2011 - Vice Consul Vi Nhan and Visa Outreach Coordinator Tomoko Takatori speak to Otemon Gakuin University students on the importance of learning English and studying abroad in the U.S.

Visa Outreach at Kinki University
September 28, 2011 - Vice Consul Vi Nhan and Visa Outreach Coordinator Tomoko Takatori speak to students at Kinki University’s English Village about their experience working for the Consulate General in Osaka and the importance of studying abroad.

Consul General Linehan Assumes Duties
September 5, 2011－Mr. Patrick Joseph Linehan Assumes Duties as United States Consul General, Osaka-Kobe. About the Consulate General / Press Release (PDF 386KB)

Arab and Muslim Communities in the U.S.
August 30, 2011 - Dr. Anan Ameri, director of the Arab American National Museum in Detroit talks about the impact of 9/11 on the Arab and Muslim communities in the United States. The Program was co-sponsored by Urban Co-existing Society Study of Urban Policy Course, Graduate School for Creative Cities, Osaka City University.

Hopes for Osaka’s Youth
August 29, 2011 - Vice Consul Vi Nhan speaks to Osaka area high school students about her aspirations for them at the kick-off meeting of the English Business Idea Contest.

Many Attractions at the Kanku Tabihaku Information Fair
July 18, 2011 – Consular Chief Ben Brown and a Locally Employed Staff member enjoy one of the many attractions at the Kanku Tabihaku Information Fair at Kansai Airport at the United States booth.

Kanku Tabihaku United States Booth
July 17, 2011 – Vice Consul Sylbeth Kennedy and a Locally Employed Staff member at the Kanku Tabihaku Information Fair at Kansai Airport at the United States booth.

Study and Travel to the U.S.
July 15, 2011 – Vice Consul Sylbeth Kennedy and a Locally Employed Staff member talk about study and travel to the U.S. to over 200 students at Sakai High School.

Welcoming Young Japanese Students to the IRC
July 14, 2011 – Information Resource Center (IRC) Director Nishibu Yumi-san gives junior high school students from Sasebo, Kyushu, a crash course in U.S. geography, and introduces them to the IRC and its many activities and resources.

Presentation on Studying in the U.S.
July 14, 2011 - PAS Intern Daniel Durazo shares with junior high school students from Sasebo, Kyushu, the international experiences that brought him to the Foreign Service, and what he thinks they can hope to learn by venturing to study abroad in the United States.

Trust in Government and Disasters
June 17, 2011 - Dr. Eric Uslaner, Professor of Government and Politics, University of Maryland, presented on the U.S. experience of trust in government and disasters at the Kansai American Center.

MOU Signing for An 'American Shelf'
June 10, 2011- Public Affairs Officer Greg Kay and Hiroshima Prefectural Library Director Kenji Uchida display the ‘memorandum of understanding' signed prior to the opening of an ‘American Shelf’ at the facility later this year.

Presentation on Studying in the U.S. at Shimane University
June 3, 2011 - Consul Wuebbels leads a discussion with Shimane University students on why the number of Japanese students studying overseas is declining.

Presentation on Studying in the U.S.
May 13, 2011 - Consul Mark Wuebbels gives a presentation to Kobe College students about the U.S. educational system, the visa application process, and the benefits of studying in the United States.

Presentation on Studying in the U.S. at Shitennoji University
April 20, 2011 - Vice Consul Sylbeth Kennedy and a Locally Employed Staff member talk to students and parents at Shitennoji University about studying in the U.S., the differences between America and Japan, and staying with host families.

Consulate Briefing for High School Students
March 22, 2011 - Gregory Kay, Consul for Public Affairs and Director of the Kansai American Center, addressed a group of high school students about Consulate activities.