|
|
| The History of the Consulate General of Japan in SF |
 |
 |
 The
Japanese consular office in San Francisco first started service as the
"Consulate of Japan" on August 25, 1870. It is the oldest Japanese Government
establishment in the U.S., with Charles Walcott Brooks, a U.S. national,
serving as its first Honorary Consul. The Consulate of Japan in San Francisco
opened even a month earlier than the Legation (currently called Embassy)
of Japan was officially opened.
San Francisco has played a significant role as a gateway throughout the
history of the U.S.-Japan relationship. It was in the year 1860 when the
first Japanese emissaries to the United States aboard the United States
Navy's Steam Frigate, Powhatan accompanied by the "Kanrin-Maru"
visited San Francisco Bay with a diplomatic delegation from the Tokugawa
Shogunate. This was an official delegation dispatched to negotiate on
the U.S.-Japan Treaty of Amity and Commerce. Three sailors who were crew
members on the ship were left in San Francisco because of illness, and
still rest in peace in the Japanese Cemetery in Colma, a suburb of San
Francisco.
As Japan modernized in the late 19 th century, an increasing number of
Japanese people crossed the Pacific Ocean to the west coast of America,
including official delegations, merchants, students and immigrants. After
the Meiji Restoration in Japan (in which feudalism and the Shogunate system
was abolished), the Meiji government (Japan's first modernized government)
needed to create diplomatic delegations stationed in foreign countries
to develop Japan's international relationships. With that in mind, the
Japanese government assigned an American, Mr. Charles Walcott Brooks,
as the first Consul of Japan in the U.S. in 1870, only two years after
the Meiji Restoration. The first Japanese national to serve as Consul
was Mr. Kentaro YANAGIYA in 1876. In 1907, our office was upgraded from
"Consulate" to "Consulate General" and consequently, Mr. Chozo KOIKE,
then the head of mission, became the first Consul General of Japan in
San Francisco.
Although our office was closed and the mission returned to Japan in 1941
because of the unfortunate war between Japan and the U.S., new mission
re-started its services in San Francisco as the Consulate General of Japan
on April 28, 1952. This was seven months after 48 nations signed the Treaty
of Peace with Japan at the peace conference held here in San Francisco.
In the post-war age, the relationship between Japan and the U.S. has become
more and more significant. Looking back over the long history of our mission
here in San Francisco, we hope to continue our tradition of fostering
better understanding, cooperation, and friendship between our two countries
for future generations into the 21 st century.
Chronological list of our heads of the Japanese mission in San
Francisco |
|
1870 |
Aug 25 |
Honorary Consul |
Charles Walcott |
Brooks |
|
1872 |
Apr 27 |
Deputy Consul |
Horace D. |
Dunn |
|
1874 |
Mar 11 |
Vice Consul |
Saburo |
Takagi |
|
1876 |
Dec 15 |
Consul |
Kentaro |
Yanagiya |
|
1883 |
May 15 |
Consul |
Hiroshi |
Tachida |
|
1886 |
Mar 18 |
Consul |
Saburo |
Fujii |
|
1889 |
Mar 1 |
Consul |
Toshiya |
Kawakita |
|
1890 |
Nov 2 |
Consul |
Sutemi |
Chinda |
|
1894 |
Nov 5 |
Consul Second Class
(later, Consul First Class) |
Saburo |
Jinya |
|
1898 |
Jun 7 |
Consul Second Class
(later, Consul First Class) |
Kokichi |
Mutsu |
|
1901 |
Feb 9 |
Consul |
Kisaburo |
Ueno |
|
1907 |
Dec 9 |
Consul General |
Chozo |
Koike |
|
1912 |
Feb 5 |
Consul General |
Matsuzo |
Nagai |
|
1916 |
Jun 1 |
Consul General |
Masanao |
Hanihara |
|
1918 |
Oct 7 |
Consul General |
Tamekichi |
Ota |
|
1921 |
Jan 24 |
Consul General |
Shichitaro |
Yada |
|
1923 |
May 21 |
Consul General |
Unojiro |
Oyama |
|
1925 |
Jan 14 |
Consul General |
Toshihiko |
Taketomi |
|
1927 |
Dec 9 |
Consul General |
Morizo |
Ida |
|
1930 |
Jun 24 |
Consul General |
Kaname |
Wakasugi |
|
1933 |
Nov 8 |
Consul General |
Hiroshi |
Tomii |
|
1936 |
Aug 20 |
Consul General |
Kanzo |
Shiozaki |
|
1939 |
Jan 3 |
Consul General |
Toshito |
Sato |
|
1941 |
Feb 20 |
Consul General |
Yoshio |
Muto |
Mission withdraws on Dec 31, 1941
|
1950 |
May 3 |
Consul General |
Atsushi |
Uyama |
|
1952 |
Mar 24 |
Consul General |
Mitsuo |
Tanaka |
Consulate General reopens on Apr 28, 1952
|
1956 |
Oct 8 |
Consul General |
Akira |
Nishiyama |
|
1960 |
Feb 9 |
Consul General |
Masao |
Yagi |
|
1961 |
Jul 19 |
Consul General |
Toshio |
Yamanaka |
|
1963 |
Sep 25 |
Consul General |
Tsutomu |
Wada |
|
1967 |
Mar 1 |
Consul General |
Seiichi |
Shima |
|
1970 |
Jan 11 |
Consul General |
Eikichi |
Hara |
|
1972 |
Dec 21 |
Consul General |
Toshikazu |
Maeda |
|
1975 |
Feb 3 |
Consul General |
Hidenori |
Sueoka |
|
1977 |
Dec 29 |
Consul General |
Tamio |
Amau |
|
1979 |
Oct 11 |
Consul General |
Hiroshi |
Kitamura |
|
1982 |
Sep 15 |
Consul General |
Takehiko |
Nishiyama |
|
1984 |
Feb 6 |
Consul General |
Masaki |
Seo |
|
1985 |
Dec 10 |
Consul General |
Tatsuo |
Arima |
|
1988 |
Jan 31 |
Consul General |
Shunji |
Yanai |
|
1990 |
Aug 31 |
Consul General |
Atsushi |
Tokinoya |
|
1994 |
Mar 4 |
Consul General |
Ryozo |
Kato |
|
1995 |
Sep 1 |
Consul General |
Kiyohiko |
Nanao |
|
1998 |
Feb 19 |
Consul General |
Hitoshi |
Tanaka |
|
2000 |
Feb 11 |
Consul General |
Nobuaki |
Tanaka |
|
2002 |
Mar 9 |
Consul General |
Shigeru |
Nakamura |
|
2004 |
Mar 26 |
Consul General |
Makoto |
Yamanaka |
| 2007 |
Sep 9 |
Consul General |
Yasumasa |
Nagamine |
| 2010 |
Sep 23 |
Consul General |
Hiroshi |
Inomata |
|
Brief Chronology |
| 1848 |
Gold discovered at the Sacramento
river. The Gold Rush starts (1849) |
| 1850 |
California becomes the 31st state |
| 1860 |
"Kanrin-Maru", the first official Japanese vessel
to visit San Francisco, arrives |
| 1868 |
Meiji Restoration (Japan) |
| 1869 |
Transcontinental Railroad completed |
| 1870 |
Consulate of Japan in San Francisco opens |
| 1906 |
Great San Francisco Earthquake. The Consulate
office is damaged |
| 1907 |
Consulate of Japan in San Francisco upgraded
to Consulate General of Japan |
| 1924 |
Japanese Exclusion Act enacted in the U.S. |
| 1929 |
Great Depression |
| 1937 |
The Golden Gate Bridge completed |
| 1939 |
World War II begins |
| 1941 |
The war between Japan and the U.S. starts. The
mission recalled to Japan. |
| 1945 |
World War II ends |
| 1950 |
The mission returns as a foreign service office |
| 1951 |
Treaty of Peace signed with Japan in San Francisco |
| 1952 |
The Consulate General of Japan reopens |
| 1968 |
Japan Information Center (our public relations
section) opens |
| 1988 |
The Consulate General of Japan moved from Japan
Town to the current location |
| 1989 |
Loma Prieta earthquake in San Francisco Bay
area |
| 1996 |
Our web site established |
|
|
|
