Consulate-General of Japan in Miami
在マイアミ日本国総領事館

Remarks by Eiichi Kawahara, Consul General of Japan in Miami, on the one hundredth anniversary of Japanese Sakura gift to the US at UWF
and city of Pensacola

March 30, 2012

Honorable Mr. Jeff Miller, US Congressman
Honorable Ken Detzner, State Secretary,
Honorable Ashton Hayward , Mayor of the City of Pensacola,
Dr. Judith Bense, University of West Florida (UWF)President,
Distinguished guests,

下呂市派遣団ご一行、日本の皆様、ようこそおいで下さいました。

It is my great honor and joy to participate in this ceremony with you all for the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Cherry Trees Gift to the United States.

Each year, more than a million people visit Washington, DC to admire the blossoming cherry trees and attend events that herald the beginning of spring in the nation’s capital.   I hope that in a few years, people will also come to Pensacola to admire the cherry trees we are planting here today at UWF.

In March of 1912, the first batch of three thousands Japanese cherry trees came to Washington D.C.  The first two trees were planted at the northern bank of the Tidal Basin on March 27, 1912 by First Lady Helen Taft and Viscountess Chinda, the wife of the Japanese Ambassador at the time.

In November of last year, I had the honor of meeting Dr. Bense, a great academic administrator as well as an archeologist with many merits, and I related to her the story of the Gift of Japanese Sakura Cherry trees to United States in 1912.  President of UWF was interested in the history of Japan-US goodwill exchange that went back over a hundred years.  Sakura gift sent to Washington by the then Mayor of Tokyo, Mr. Yukio Ozaki, was a symbol of the growing friendship between the United States and Japan and its citizens.  Later, the United States sent Dogwoods or Hanamizuki as their gift to Japanese citizens in return.  Those dogwoods still grow at the Ozaki Memorial Garden in front of the Japanese Parliament.

Last month, while attending International Days in Tallahassee, I had the chance to talk with Mr. Gray Swoope, Florida Secretary of Commerce and President of Enterprise Florida, who told me with joy that his daughter had been chosen as the Princess of Sakura in the State of Mississippi, and that she would later go to Washington, D.C. for this year’s Sakura festival, which just started last week and carries on for a total of 5 weeks.

The centenary celebration and the gift itself symbolize the lasting friendship between the United States and Japan as close allies.  This closeness and friendship of us was confirmed last year on March 11th when an unprecedented massive earthquake & Tsunami stroke Northeast Japan.  Immediately after the disaster happened, United States forces stationed in Japan and in its vicinity rushed to the disaster area, and conducted rescue and relief operation for over a month. From U.S., NPOs and experts in various fields also visited Japan to help our recovery efforts in the affected areas.  Here in Florida, the first call of sympathy and solidarity to Japan that I received was from Governor Scott.  

Our Consulate in Miami has received donation checks from thousands of Floridians to be remitted to the Japanese Red Cross.  I have witnessed and felt how close and strong our relationship with the United States government and its citizens is.  I am very grateful to Floridians for their support.

I now wish to express here my sincere appreciation to those people who kindly support and participate in this program for the first centenary anniversary of the cherry blossom tree gift.  I thank the President of UWF, the Pensacola Bay area community and all the participating companies and individuals, in particular, the citizens of Gero City for their sponsorship and support.

I would like to commend an outstanding Japanese lady who has long been here to teach Japanese language and culture to university students: Dr. Shigeko Honda.  She also served as executive director for the U.S.-Japan Society in Northwest Florida between 1994 and 2010, and she has been the director of the “Japan House” at the University of West Florida since 2004.  Japan House was built in traditional Japanese style, using beautifully cut woods from Gifu Prefecture of Central Japan, where Gero City is located.

Honda Sensei has been a one of the most active coordinator of today’s celebration and program. Dr. Honda has also been an active promoter of youth exchange programs between the City of Pensacola and Gero City Japan. Both cities enjoy a sister city relation.

In this regard, I wish to express my sincere appreciation to Brown Barge Middle School, host families and Pensacola board members of sister cities for their longstanding contribution and warm hospitality. Without your support, this youth exchange would not be possible.

Pensacola City receives junior high school students from Gero City every year. Pensacola reciprocated by sending its students. Gero City has sent this year another group of junior high school students. The dispatch has been 19th missions from Gero city. First mission was sent to Pensacola in 1994.  On this first centenary cerebration of the Sakura gift to U.S., the citizens of Gero have donated more than 50 sakura trees to be planted in Pensacola.  This gift from Gero citizens is another good example of ever deepening and growing friendship between the two cities.

The President of the Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, Mr. James Hizer, has made frequent visits to Japan.  He is one of the vigorous promoters of Japan-Florida, Greater Pensacola Bay Ares business relation and a very good friend of Japan.

Also, here in Pensacola there is a Japanese affiliated company called “Hitachi Cable,” which backed by a staff of 300 Floridians, is successful in manufacturing brake hoses for vehicles in the US.

Going back to the Great East Japan Earthquake, it certainly caused great structural damage in the Northeast part of Japan and enormous loss of life.  But the rest of Japan was only briefly disrupted, and was back to normality within weeks after March 11th.  Now, in its reconstruction process, Japan intends to develop a future oriented community, called smart city or model of future city, by transitioning to a green economy that achieves economic growth in a way compatible with the environment.

You can now enjoy, just as before, Tokyo’s business centers and modern architecture, museums, fashion and great shopping.  Japan is also rich with history, culture and traditions, and it has many World Heritage Sites all over its territory.  The “Old Japan” is intact.

Visit Japan this year!  This is the best way you can support us now!
President, Dr. Bense, will take lead by visiting Japan next Tuesday.
Thank you again and congratulations.

Finally, I now have a special role to invite Gero city junior high school student up to the stage to deliver their message followed by song chorus performance.  Please welcome the  Gero City students.