From the Desk of Consul General Osumi

   For whatever reason, when it comes to words of farewell, Chinese poetry comes to mind. The Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai, in his poem “Yellow Crane Tower: Sending Off Meng Haoran to Guangling,” describes the scene of his friend Meng Haoran setting sail from Wuhan on the Yangtze River to Yangzhou during the springtime:
    
   The time has come for us to depart as well.
   I've always felt a special connection to San Francisco, where the foghorns echo through the mist. The first book I ever read in earnest was Alone on the Pacific by Kenichi Horie, which recounts his solo voyage across the Pacific Ocean, the final destination of which being San Francisco. When I was 20, I traveled abroad for the first time to the United States, and on my very first night, I stayed at the YMCA in the Presidio, near the Golden Gate Bridge. My ancestors are said to have been pirates in the Seto Inland Sea, and my name (Yō, written with the character洋, meaning “ocean”) and the name of my eldest son (Takumi, written 拓海, with the second character also meaning “ocean”) are related to the sea. The scenery of San Francisco Bay and the sea breeze as I set sail on a small craft reminded me of the Japanese phrase that translates to “mother sea.” This city has been a gateway to the world for modern Japan since the arrival of the Kanrin Maru, which carried Japan’s first modern diplomatic overseas mission to San Francisco in 1860, and during the Pacific War, it was where Japanese Americans underwent intensive Japanese language training at the U.S. Army Intelligence Division and where U.S. soldiers departed for the Pacific Front. It is also the site where the Peace Treaty and the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty were signed, marking the beginning of Japan’s postwar era. Additionally, prior to the pandemic, I had the opportunity to work in Israel, often referred to as the “Startup Nation.” From that perspective, Silicon Valley represented the heart of innovation, and I had always dreamed of visiting it one day.

   Since my arrival in late September 2023, I have had the opportunity to travel around not only San Francisco and the Bay Area, but throughout Northern California and Nevada as well. The experiences of speaking with those of you who have firmly established yourselves and are living here have been invaluable, and I have shared my thoughts on these occasions in this series, “From the Desk of Consul General Osumi.” I believe that the value of the Consulate General lies in its convening power, its role that connects you all, brings your strengths together, and unites various groups. In other words, my wife Misao and I would not have been able to carry out our activities here without your cooperation. In this final installment, I would like to share some thoughts on my time with all of you, and with this, conclude my series of reflections.


Grassroots: The Four Points of a Diamond
   During my time here, I have been involved in activities related to the Japanese American community, Japanese language education, the JET Program, and sister city events. Over time, I came to refer to these four pillars of grassroots exchange as a “diamond” with four points. Rather than treating each as a separate initiative, I have aimed to connect them, allowing each to merge with the others and create a more integrated and dynamic network.

(1) Japanese Language Education: Japanese language education, and foreign language education overall, is generally robust in U.S. schools, particularly in California, but as I wrote in my Essay 21, it is constantly at risk of being discontinued for various reasons. To help prevent this, the Consulate General created a forum for relevant parties to gather and discuss the situation. We also visited schools and communities around the Bay Area, Sacramento, and the Monterey-Salinas area to hear various opinions. Based on the results of these discussions, we held the first Northern California Japanese Language Conference at my residence on August 14. During the meeting, we shared the current situation, discussed ways to motivate more students to learn Japanese and present career paths after learning Japanese, and explored the cultivation of the next generation of Japanese language teachers. I hope that this first meeting will be the start of a continuing effort, as the appended “first” suggests. I also hope that Japanese language learners will participate in the JET Program, actively engage in sister city activities, and connect with the Japanese American community, thereby embodying the “diamond” network of connections.

(2) JET (The Japan Exchange and Teaching Program): JET is a highly regarded program that has sent nearly 80,000 young people to Japan over the past 40 years to work as English teachers and other roles. Catherine Stefani, who served as a San Francisco supervisor and is now a member of the California State Assembly, studied abroad in Osaka, and lived in Kakunodate City, Akita Prefecture as an English teacher through the JET program. Both her father and the father of her host family in Osaka were part of the generation that experienced the war, and she has spent years building bridges between our countries’ people. She once told me that she gave her father a piece of calligraphy that she had written in Japan that read “peace.” At the Consulate, there are five members of our local staff who have participated in the JET program.
   Last year, we held a welcome party for JET alumni returning to the US at the official residence, and according to them, the culture shock of returning to the US from Japan was greater than when they first went to Japan – a sign of the program’s impact, to be sure. Those returnees were excited to debate about their favorite types of onigiri available at Japanese convenience stores. In order to encourage further connection with Japan, the Northern California JET Alumni Association has established a scholarship program for students who want to continue studying Japan and is cooperating in career seminar planning. I hope they will be more involved in nurturing Japanese language teachers.
 
(3) Sister City Network: As I wrote in Essay 18, the sister city network is the foundation of Japan-U.S. relations, and it is a remarkable achievement that so many exchanges have continued over the years. The most recent sister city relationship in Northern California is between Daly City and Izumisano City in Osaka Prefecture. At the suggestion of the Consulate General, Mayor Chiyomatsu of Izumisano City has officially designated Izumisano as the host city for the upcoming Japan-U.S. Sister Cities Summit, to be held in September this year. Many people from Northern California will participate.
   When the mayor of Shingu City in Wakayama Prefecture visited its sister city of Santa Cruz last October, I had the opportunity to join the welcome reception for the delegation. There, I met an American who had previously stayed in Shingu through a sister city high school exchange program. That experience led them to study at a university in Japan, and now they’re preparing to return to Japan through the JET Program.
   I believe it is necessary to consider how we can encourage these motivated young people to contribute to the future of Japanese society, and I hope that they will aspire to become Japanese language teachers in the future.

(4) Japanese Americans: With the hope that young Japanese Americans will become future leaders, we have held three events for young Japanese Americans who will lead the next generation: in March last year (Japan Innovation Campus), November (San Francisco Japantown), and March this year (San Jose Japantown). The March event focused on women's leadership, and the panel discussion featured four Japanese American women leaders: Ellen Kamei, Mayor of Mountain View; Adena Ishii, Mayor of Berkeley; Vanessa Hatakeyama, Director of the San Jose Japanese American Museum; and Yukiko Nishimura, Co-Chair of the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival. The discussion was quite inspiring. Based on these results, on August 12, we held a meeting at my residence to launch a group organized and run by young Japanese Americans. The future development of this group will depend on you all, but I believe that we have laid a solid foundation.
   I always urge Japanese expats in California to learn about the history of Japanese Americans and their contributions to this area. In that sense, I was very pleased to hear from several people that they had visited various places after reading Essay 16, which contains a list of 11 sites where you can learn more about that important history.

Business & Technology, Science, Study Abroad & Visits
(1) Business & Technology: As we enter an era of major technological innovation, many of the leading companies driving generative AI are based in San Francisco, making it a key center of development. In Essay 10, I wrote that with major technological innovation progressing mainly in the U.S. (and China), it is becoming difficult for Japanese companies to continue to rely on their domestic market, and it is increasingly difficult to see a future without entering the U.S. (or English-speaking) market. Therefore, I believe it is essential to adopt a mindset that prioritizes speed and embraces failure, approaches that may seem contrary to Japan's traditional corporate culture. In a sense, moderating qualities that can otherwise be our strengths, such as perfectionism and craftsmanship, is required to navigate this era. While some companies like Hitachi, SOMPO, and Komatsu have begun leveraging local technology to drive transformation, the real test lies in whether large Japanese corporations can acquire local dynamism through mergers and acquisitions to drive self-transformation.
   On the other hand, in times of such transformation, new young stars could emerge exponentially, and there are in fact many ambitious young people here from Japan with innovative goals. As the Consulate, we are working together with JETRO and the Japan Innovation Campus to support Japanese startups and entrepreneurship, but several challenges have emerged in the process.

●Perspectives on supporting Japanese entrepreneurs working in the US: With regard to start-up support, through the implementation of the five-year plan of the Government of Japan for start-up development, it has become clear that there are limits to simply bringing start-ups that have been established in Japan to the U.S. The challenge is to support start-ups that have the ambition and drive to leave Japan and target the global market from the outset. Recently, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has begun to use the phrase “born global” rather than “go global.” The question of whether to use taxpayer money to support entrepreneurs who go out into the world from the outset requires a policy decision, but South Korea recently announced a policy to provide such support. On the other hand, the number of Japanese entrepreneurs who have already started businesses here in the U.S. is increasing every year, and I have heard from them that they wanted opportunities to connect with others who are fighting the same battle. Thus, we held Executive Roundtable for Silicon Valley Japanese Entrepreneurs at the official residence on July 30. They struck me as individuals deeply committed to their country, and I sincerely hope their passion and vitality can be harnessed in meaningful ways. Going forward, the direction of this exchange meeting and the impact it can have will largely depend on the participants themselves, but I look forward to its further development.

●Inspiration from other countries: One of the things I’ve noticed since coming here is the significant presence of Chinese and Korean entrepreneurs and communities. More recently, there has been a notable rise in Indian professionals in executive and managerial roles. South Koreans have traditionally had strong desires to come to live in the U.S., and there is a strong tendency for children to be educated in the U.S. from junior high school onwards and remain in the American system. As a result, the entrepreneurial class is broader and deeper than in Japan. I felt that they could be considered a source of inspiration for Japan. We co-hosted the Japan-South Korea startup event held at the Japan Innovation Campus (JIC) in November last year as a follow-up to the joint lecture by the Japanese and South Korean leaders at Stanford University in 2023 and Additionally, the JIC has hosted a Japan-Singapore joint event. I hope this kind of cooperation will extend to other countries, including those beyond East Asia.

●Efforts toward dual-use technology: As I wrote in Essay 21, amid the current international situation, it is becoming an urgent priority to engage in the field of dual-use technology, which utilizes private-sector technology for defense purposes in order to ensure Japan's national security. It is difficult for Japan (and Japanese companies) to do everything on its own in this field, and it will be necessary to utilize the knowledge of U.S. companies in Silicon Valley. At the same time, Silicon Valley, which was once mockingly referred to as the “Lost Valley” by the founder of Palantir, is rapidly changing from its recent tendency to avoid military-related activities, and I heard this is also reflected in the employment trends of students. To take the lead in this field, we held the first Dual-Use Tech Seminar at the Japan Innovation Campus on March 5 this year, which was well attended by over 100 participants.
 

●What is Japan good at? Deeptech and the world of research: We are currently in the midst of an AI investment frenzy. For example, Microsoft alone is investing more in generative AI than Japan's defense budget. Japan has consistently lagged in the software world, so where does it really have an advantage? A Japanese venture capitalist living in the Bay Area told me that important research in agricultural technology is happening at rural universities in Japan, and that he visits rural areas when he is in Japan. While there is talk of a decline in Japan's research standards, Japan's level in the world of deeptech remains high, and Japanese researchers are said to be highly skilled.

(2) Science: After considering various discussions, I have come to believe that more Japanese
government resources should be allocated to promoting science—an investment in the future—and that policies should be more aggressive in this regard. Japan has produced many world-renowned scientists, many of whom went abroad to train and work before returning to Japan, where they have served as bridges between Japan and the rest of the world. However, I’ve heard that many young Japanese researchers are reluctant to go abroad, as international experience is often seen as a disadvantage in their career paths. I believe this is a serious issue.
   One of the initiatives by our Consulate General was the creation of a PI map, which was introduced in Essay 21. We compiled a list of 34 professors, which included Japanese nationals and others with deep ties to Japan, all of whom are capable of leading research at local universities. The list was published on the Consulate General's website. We then held the roundtable Discussion and Reception for Bay Area Principal Investigators at my residence on February 3. These professors have been working at the forefront of their fields in this area for many years and have strong ties to their home country. They are human assets for Japan, as they can serve as bridges for scientific and technological exchange between Japan and the U.S. by nurturing and supporting scientists through programs such as accepting talented students from Japan. It is my hope that we can utilize these connections to revitalize international cooperation and promote Japan's science and technology policies. I believe it is very meaningful to systematically gather the opinions of these people, who are able to express views that may be uncomfortable for Japan to hear, and utilize them in Japan's policy-making.
   Coincidentally, I recently had a conversation with a professor from UCSF who told me that they want to teach at a Japanese university. I intend to continue doing what I can to achieve such goals one by one.

(3) Study abroad and visits: Looking further into the future, the decline in the number of international students from Japan is a major challenge. The number of Japanese students studying in the United States as a whole has decreased by about 70% since 2002, and currently ranks 13th among countries and regions, following India, China, South Korea, and Taiwan, and is about one-third of South Korea's number. One reason for this decline in the number of students studying abroad is that Japan is a very comfortable place to live. Without international competition and collaboration, however, there can be no true advancement in human talent. Practically, considering that Japan's per-capita GDP is approximately one-third of that of California, more economic support is generally needed for studies abroad (though it should also be noted that for doctoral programs at graduate schools in the U.S., especially in the sciences, tuition is often waived and stipends are provided, and I hope Japanese academics will take note of such opportunities).
  
   Through various conversations in the local community, a shared understanding has developed that experiencing the U.S. for the first time at the university level may be too late. It is during the formative years of middle and high school, when curiosity and receptiveness are at their peak, that initial exposure to international environments can most effectively inspire global perspectives. It is a positive step that the Japanese government’s Council for the Creation of Future Education has set as one of its goals the increase of study tours and study abroad programs at the high school level. As the Consulate General, we have been responding to requests from groups of middle and high school students participating in sister city exchanges or Silicon Valley study programs. I myself have had the opportunity to speak with middle school students from Shibuya Ward, high school students from Minamata City, high school students from Osaka City, and high school students participating in the TOMODACHI program. When doing so, I try to convey the importance of taking pride in Japan's strengths, and of moving through the world in a global, ambitious, and fearless manner, with the power to think big in a world without a map, the power to think things through from scratch, and the power to take action to break through barriers, using philosophy and technology as allies.

Political Relationships
   While the international situation is currently undergoing a period of upheaval, our Consulate General is responsible for relations with Northern and Central California and Nevada, as well as with counties and municipalities. In terms of relations with California, the establishment of the Japan-U.S. Parliamentary Forum was one of the major milestones during my tenure. A member of Japanese House of Councillors (the upper house of Japan’s national legislature), Mr. Iwao Horii, who had previously worked at the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco during his time at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, is a key player in promoting parliamentary exchange, and attended the forum’s launch ceremony held on June 24, 2024. On the Japanese side, following the creation of the Japan-California Parliamentary Friendship League in the House of Councillors, a similar caucus was formed in the House of Representatives last year, providing a counterpart in both houses of the Japanese Diet. When it comes to what we will do in the short to medium term, we will focus on strengthening economic relations and linking the California-Japan Legislative Forum in various ways to the Consulate General's activities related to sister city networks, AI, agri-tech, and disaster prevention. On July 9, we held a Japan-California Business Collaboration Event in conjunction with the Forum and the Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles. This was a large event attended by 14 state legislators, including the Senate President pro Tempore, and more than 10 companies from the Japan Chamber of Commerce of Northern California (JCCNC) and the Japanese Business Association of Southern California (JBA). Considering the history between our nations that has at various points been fraught with conflict, I am deeply moved by the progress of this cooperative relationship. I hope that it will continue to develop as a foundation for a wide range of relations between Japan and California.
   We have built relationships with counties and municipalities through our Sister City Network, and quite a few local leaders attend the Emperor's Birthday Reception each February. During a meeting with San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie before my departure, I gave him a guidebook on Japan that I purchased in San Francisco Japantown called Mindfulness Travel Japan, and told him that he could consult it for a possible future visit to Japan. I also mentioned the excitement in Los Angeles surrounding the popularity of Shohei Otani and gave him a copy of Essay 19 to draw his attention to Rintaro Sasaki, who is playing baseball for Stanford University.
 
Relationship with Nevada
   I had the opportunity to visit Nevada six times during my tenure. On one visit, I went to Las Vegas Gakuen, one of the only schools teaching Japanese in the area. Some lines from the school’s song include “bathed in sparkling sunshine,” “forged by harsh nature,” and “taking a step toward your dreams.” Las Vegas is sunny and dry, and while I was there, I felt the boundless expanse of the land and blue sky.
   In addition to more than 4,000 Japanese residents, there are also about 8,000 people of Japanese descent living in Nevada. There is also a large Panasonic factory outside Reno. Among the events I attended, the Aki Matsuri (Fall Festival) in Henderson, near Las Vegas, stood out for its scale and rich array of cultural programs. It was a powerful testament to the enduring presence of Japanese culture in the region, and I was truly touched by the strength and warmth of the local Japanese community. In January 2025, the Consulate General hosted a Japan-Nevada Collaboration Event, which brought together the Lieutenant Governor, state senators, representatives of Japanese companies, Japanese nationals, and Japanese Americans, providing a wonderful opportunity for business and cultural exchange.

Consular Services
   Lastly, consular services are the most important part of the work of the Consulate General, as they are the primary point of contact for the Japanese people. Our Consulate General is the third busiest in the United States in terms of the number of passports issued, and recently we have been extremely busy with the addition of various online certificate services. In addition, we also periodically provide consular services in Fresno, California, as well as in Reno and Las Vegas, Nevada.
   The other day, when I was riding the elevator in the Consulate’s building, I struck up a conversation with a Japanese national who was visiting the Consulate for some procedures, and he praised our office’s consular services. Another time, on a tour of a local company, the woman at the reception desk praised the excellent service provided by our office. Consular services are a service industry, so I am very grateful to receive such comments, and I have passed them on to the members of the Consular Section.


Conclusion
   I would like to conclude my essay here, but I believe it is important to view each task as part of a whole rather than as an individual task, and that doing so will enable the Consulate General, with its wide range of responsibilities, to leverage its collective power and cohesion. With this in mind, I have made efforts to promote “connectivity.”
   I also asked the staff to work across teams with this mindset. I hope that this has been of help to everyone, and I would like to express my gratitude once again for your cooperation and collaboration during my tenure. My successor will be Kotaro Otsuki, and I humbly ask that you extend to him the same warmth and kindness you have shown me and my family.


With Gratitude
   The official residence in Pacific Heights overlooks the Golden Gate Bridge, and when guests visit, I serve them tea in a quiet room. In doing so, we spend a “once-in-a-lifetime” moment together—one that can never be recreated (Essay 17). I believe it is fate that has allowed me to connect with everyone here.
   In Essay 23, I wrote about the rich emotions of Japan as condensed in the tradition of waka poetry. As someone who endeavors to carry on that culture, I would like to offer a short waka poem as a token of my gratitude and my hope for a reunion in the future: