House Resolution 1277
By: Representatives Gambill of the 15th, Neal of the 79th, Bonner of the 73rd, Kelley of the
16th, Paris of the 142nd, and others
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing the 52nd anniversary of the Consulate-General of Japan in Atlanta; and for
other purposes.
WHEREAS, the Consulate-General of Japan in Atlanta has strengthened the cultural,
political, and economic ties between the Southeast United States and Japan and has worked
to help and support Japanese citizens and companies in the Southeast; and
WHEREAS, a long and steady friendship has grown between Georgia and Japan, as shown
by the establishment of the Office of the State of Georgia in Japan 53 years ago; and
WHEREAS, Georgia has become a model for welcoming Japanese companies to the
Southeast, and the region has grown to become an indispensable part of the United
States-Japan relationship; and
WHEREAS, the Japanese community has thrived together with all other communities to
make Georgia greater; and
WHEREAS, current trade between Georgia and Japan is $8.33 billion in import and export
trade; and
WHEREAS, there are more than 700 Japan affiliated offices now located in Georgia,
employing 40,000 people; and
WHEREAS, the consulate-general created Japan Fest in 1986 and helped grow it into the
largest Japanese cultural festival in the Southeast; and
WHEREAS, Americus, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Dublin, Macon, and Rome have
sister-city relationships with cities in Japan, making Georgia the state with the highest
number of Japanese sister cities in the Southeast, and this state also has a sister-state
relationship with Kagoshima Prefecture; and the Port of Savannah has a sister-port
relationship with the Port of Shimizu; and
WHEREAS, nearly 1,000 Georgia public school students are studying the Japanese language,
thirteen Georgia institutes of higher education have Japanese language programs, and from
1987-2025, 590 Georgians have participated in Japan's Japanese Exchange and Teaching
(JET) program; and
WHEREAS, over 25 members of the Georgia General Assembly and other Georgia officials
were hosted in the autumn of 2019 on trips to Japan to meet with Japanese government,
business, and cultural officials in order to promote a deeper understanding and to cement ties
between Japan and Georgia.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that
the members of this body recognize the 52nd anniversary of the Consulate-General of Japan
in Atlanta and the long and steady friendship between this state and Japan and commend the
efforts of the Consulate-General to strengthen cultural, educational, political, and economic
ties between Georgia and Japan.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized
and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to the
Consulate-General of Japan in Atlanta.