On Thursday, December 3rd, the 2009 National Day Reception was hosted by the Consulate-General of Japan at Denver and was held at the Westin Hotel in downtown Denver.

On this day, braving the frigid weather, diplomats from several countries and business representatives who work with the Consulate-General of Japan at Denver, were in attendance.Also, local community members active in Japan-U.S. education, culture and sports programs, as well as media related persons were present.The turnout for guests this year was about 260, topping last year’s turnout.

New this year, were booths set up in the reception hall.Some were Japanese businesses working within the U.S. and another was Denver’s sister state/prefecture Yamagata.Each displayed their products and offered samples to the guests, giving them a taste of Japan’s culture and its goods.

To start off the reception, Consul-General Kubo delivered his opening address.Following that, the Director of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, Don Marostica, spoke on behalf of Governor Bill Ritter and expressed his expectations for the Consulate and his hopes for continued cooperation between Japan and Colorado leading to further development.

Next, the Acting Director of Technical Services at DenverInternationalAirport, Eric Hiraga, presented a proclamation on behalf of Mayor John Hickenlooper conveying his congratulations for His Majesty the Japanese Emperor’s Birthday and the 20th Anniversary of His Accession to the Throne.

Afterward, an assortment of food platters were served and small conversation broke out amongst the guests, which continued until the reception came to a close.

Ms. Kyoko Kita and Ms. Kimiko Side, both residents of the Denver area, were named recipients of the 2009 Ministry of Foreign Affairs Commendation Award. Ms. Kyoko Kita, was recognized for her efforts in promoting Japanese culture in the U.S. She assisted in many cultural exchange projects between Japan and the U.S. over the years. Ms. Kimiko Side was recognized for her long-time contributions in communications between sister-cities Denver and Takayama.

On August 13th, Consul-General Kubo presented certificates of merit and a testimonial from the Minister of Foreign Affairs to Ms. Kyoko Kita at a reception held at CG Kubo’s official residence. (Ms. Side had already received hers in person from the Minister of Foreign Affairs on July 15th in Tokyo.)

This year, 92 commendations in total were presented to groups and individuals.Seven people including Ms. Kita and Ms. Side were commended in the United States. We wish the best to them for the continuation of their efforts in their respective fields as well as good health to them both.

On Saturday, June 19, 2009, Consul-General Kubo and Mrs. Kubo hosted a reception in honor of Mr. David Begay, Honorary Consul-General of Japan at Albuquerque.

The reception was held at the Tanoan Country Club.Many local representatives attended and congratulated the newly-appointed Honorary Consul-General, including New Mexico Secretary of State, Mary Herrera, and Dr. Alton D. Romig, Executive Vice President, Deputy Laboratories Director, and Chief Operating Officer at Sandia National Laboratories.

Mr. Begay and his wife, Ikuko Begay, have continuously been supportive in a wide range of areas. They have been active liaisons between New Mexico and the Consulate-General of Japan at Denver, promoted communications and exchanges between New Mexico and Japan, supported Japanese tourists in the area, etc.Mr. Begay was officially appointed as Honorary Consul- General this past April.

On May 12th, 2009, affiliates ofthe International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, including Association President, Prof. Nagahiro Saijo from KinkiUniversity, visited Denver to investigate the possibility of holding the 16th World Conference on Lung Cancer here in 2015. A reception was held in the Peaks Lounge on the 27th floor of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Denver. The World Conference on Lung Cancer is an international conference held every two year. It is a large-scale event with approximately 10,000 attendees, making it a very attractive to the city of Denver.

During the reception, Mayor John Hickenlooper and Mr. Don Elliman, Director of the Office of Economic Development & International Trade, gave a welcome speech and touted the charms of Denver. Both Denver and Toronto are potential host sites. The final decision for the location of this conference is scheduled to be decided in September of this year. According to the affiliates, although Denver offers many fine amenities, the availability of direct flights from foreign countries, including Japan, is still an issue.

Consul-General Kubo also attended the reception and promoted Denver as a well maintained city with a highly intellectual population. CG Kubo believes there is a good possibility of a direct flight between Tokyo and Denver by then. Moreover, a large scale event such as this would only help to foment direct flights between the two cities.

On Friday, May 1st, 2009, Mr. Toshihiro Nikai, Minister of METI visited Albuquerque, New Mexico to meet Governor Richardson to sign an agreement to cooperate in research and development.

The purpose of this memorandum is to promote cooperation between Japan and New Mexico in the fields of clean energy, biotechnology, nanotechnology, and the smart grid.

In addition, on Saturday, March 2nd, Minister Nikai, and the Mayor of Las Cruces, Ken Miyagishima, who is the first Japanese-American to become a mayor in New Mexico, met in Albuquerque to discuss the tourism prospects between Japan and city of Las Cruces.

On Sunday, March 29th, 2009, The Brighton Japanese Association held their Annual Shrimp and Chow Mein Dinner, at the Adams County Fairgrounds.This has been annual an event for more than 50 years.Because part of the profits from dinner have been donated to help build a local hospital and fund a scholarship program, this event is held in high regard by the local Japanese and Japanese-Americansociety.

This year’s weather was beautiful right after the snow storm we had.Approximately 2,700 people came from not only the local but also out of state.They sold a total of 3,196 dinners/SOLD OUT!

In addition, 9 News reporter, Mr. Adam Schrager, joined the event and sold his book “The principled Politician” with his autograph.

Preparations for the event including the procurement and transit of ingredients, cooking, etc. are all handled by volunteers which shows why the bonds of the community are so strong.

Sportaccord is an international convention of sport, and the event took place in Denver from March 24-27 2009. Sport industry leaders including International Olympic Committee members, international sports federation leaders and media members from all over the world gathered in Denver.

During the Convention, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Seiko Hashimoto, past Olympic medalist and other representatives from Japan presented Tokyo's case based on the resolution passed by Lower House at the last minute backing Tokyo’s Olympic bid. The other bidders from Chicago, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro also made presentations to be the host city for the 2016 Olympics.

The IOCGeneralAssembly will select the host city in October.