After completing his 3-year appointment to Seattle, Japanese Consul General Hisao Inagaki was recalled to Japan for a new diplomatic assignment.  Consul General Inagaki and his wife Yuki were well received by the community and government officials. They were very approachable and happily participated in many city and community activities.  They always made a special effort to attend the NVC and Foundation events.

Consul General Inagaki arrived in the middle of the COVID restrictions and for the first 18 months was not able to host or participate in any community events. To maintain his contact with the public, he established a personal Instagram account and folded an origami paper crane each day. He folded one origami each day to pray for everyone’s health and peace during the pandemic and posted a daily video of the folding on his Instagram account. Consul General missed only one day, due to eye surgery, during his 3-year stay in Seattle.

To honor his stay in Seattle, 24 organizations from the Nikkei Community Network held a farewell event on Friday, September 15, hosted at the NVC Memorial Hall.  Mike Yaguchi, NVC Commander, was the MC, and the toast was given by Tomio Moriguchi.  who presented an Aki Sogabeg artwork as a gift from the community.

After short speeches from both Consul General and Mrs. Inagaki, each participating organization met with the Consul General and Mrs. Inagaki and had a remembrance photo taken with the couple.

Light refreshments of hotdogs, chicken, pizza, fruits, beer, wine, and sake were served.   A cake was ordered for the event and shared with the crowd. 

Consul General Inagaki was an excellent representative for the Japanese people, and we thank the Consul General for his friendship during his stay in Seattle.