Foreign Minister’s Commendation Conferment Ceremony for IUC
2023/10/11
Consul General Osumi presents IUC’s Foreign Minister’s Commendation to Executive Director Levy
Remarks from Consul General Osumi
On Friday, October 6, Consul General Yo Osumi presented the Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies (IUC) with the 2023 Foreign Minister’s Commendation at a ceremony and reception hosted at his official residence.
The commendation honors IUC’s contributions to friendly relations between North America and Japan through the Center’s advanced language and cultural education programs. Since its inception in 1963, IUC has produced nearly 3,000 graduates, 21 of whom have received the “Order of the Rising Sun” from the Japanese government. Professor Indra Levy, Executive Director of the Center, received the award on IUC’s behalf. Following Professor Levy’s remarks, Professor J. Scott Miller, a member of the IUC Executive Board, led attendees in a toast.
This year, IUC is also celebrating their 60th anniversary. In Japan, one’s 60th birthday is also known as Kanreki ,which marks the completion of a 60-year revolution in the Japanese calendar and the start of a new cycle, symbolizing a period of rebirth. Consul General Osumi congratulated IUC on this milestone at IUC’s official 60th Anniversary Celebration on October 7th, and expressed his desire for this Kanreki to be a new beginning for the Center.
After the ceremony, guests were presented with a Japanese seafood and sake buffet, provided in cooperation with JETRO San Francisco. In particular, the buffet offered scallops from Hokkaido, yellowtail from Kagoshima, flat fish from Aomori, red sea bream from Ehime, and mackerel from Miyagi. While guests ate, they were able to view a short video about the scallop harvesting industry in Hokkaido. Guests also enjoyed a selection of sake from Fukushima Prefecture and the surrounding Tohoku region. Consul General Osumi acknowledged the hard work of the fishermen and sake brewers in Japan that made the buffet possible. He encouraged people to share Japanese cuisine with friends and family members who may not be familiar with it.
For more information on the Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies, please see their website: https://www.iucjapan.org/index_e.html
The commendation honors IUC’s contributions to friendly relations between North America and Japan through the Center’s advanced language and cultural education programs. Since its inception in 1963, IUC has produced nearly 3,000 graduates, 21 of whom have received the “Order of the Rising Sun” from the Japanese government. Professor Indra Levy, Executive Director of the Center, received the award on IUC’s behalf. Following Professor Levy’s remarks, Professor J. Scott Miller, a member of the IUC Executive Board, led attendees in a toast.
This year, IUC is also celebrating their 60th anniversary. In Japan, one’s 60th birthday is also known as Kanreki ,which marks the completion of a 60-year revolution in the Japanese calendar and the start of a new cycle, symbolizing a period of rebirth. Consul General Osumi congratulated IUC on this milestone at IUC’s official 60th Anniversary Celebration on October 7th, and expressed his desire for this Kanreki to be a new beginning for the Center.
After the ceremony, guests were presented with a Japanese seafood and sake buffet, provided in cooperation with JETRO San Francisco. In particular, the buffet offered scallops from Hokkaido, yellowtail from Kagoshima, flat fish from Aomori, red sea bream from Ehime, and mackerel from Miyagi. While guests ate, they were able to view a short video about the scallop harvesting industry in Hokkaido. Guests also enjoyed a selection of sake from Fukushima Prefecture and the surrounding Tohoku region. Consul General Osumi acknowledged the hard work of the fishermen and sake brewers in Japan that made the buffet possible. He encouraged people to share Japanese cuisine with friends and family members who may not be familiar with it.
For more information on the Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies, please see their website: https://www.iucjapan.org/index_e.html
Acceptance speech by Prof. Levy on behalf of IUC
Prof. Miller gives a toast
Guests enjoy a Japanese seafood buffet
Hokkaido scallops
An assortment of Tohoku sake
Group Photo
