HR 45: Consulate-General of Japan in Atlanta; 51st anniversary; recognize
Introduced version, the latest LegiScan holds · Last action January 17, 2025 · Passed
The text as LegiScan holds it, read from the PDF the legislature publishes with its margin line numbers, running heads, and page footers removed. Line breaks are joined into paragraphs here; no word is changed.
House Resolution 45
By: Representatives Gambill of the 15th, Au of the 50th, Williamson of the 112th, Neal of the 79th, Kelley of the 16th, and others
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing the 51st 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 51 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 $7.65 billion in import and export trade; and
WHEREAS, there are 514 Japan affiliated offices (not including retail locations) now located in Georgia, employing 38,290 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, the 2020 Summer Olympics were held in Tokyo, Japan, in 2021 due to COVID-19; and
WHEREAS, Americus, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Dublin, Gainesville, 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; the State of Georgia has a sister-state relationship with the 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, 13 Georgia institutes of higher education have Japanese language programs, and since 1987, 573 Georgians have participated in Japan's Japanese Exchange and Teaching (JET) program; and
WHEREAS, more than 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 51st 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.