--- title: SR 712. Consulate-General of Japan in Atlanta; recognize collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr712 cite_as: SR 712, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr712 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr712.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr712/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72896 date: 2026-02-06 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr711.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr713.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr712.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 712 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-02-06 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Frank Ginn - Sally Harrell - Jason Anavitarte - Kay Kirkpatrick - Drew Echols - Tonya Anderson - Blake Tillery - Greg Dolezal - Steve Gooch - Larry Walker - Elena Parent - Nan Orrock - Gail Davenport - Jaha Howard - Matt Brass - Kenya Wicks text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR712/2025 upstream_id: 2109991 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - Georgia-Japan relations - international trade - Consulate-General of Japan - Senate resolution - cultural exchange --- # SR 712. Consulate-General of Japan in Atlanta; recognize ## Text Senate Resolution 712 By: Senators Ginn of the 47th, Harrell of the 40th, Anavitarte of the 31st, Kirkpatrick of the 32nd, Echols of the 49th 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, current trade between Georgia and Japan is $8.33 billion in import and export trade; and WHEREAS, there are 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, the Governor of Georgia, the Honorable Brian P. Kemp, visited Japan in October of 2025 in connection with the Annual Joint Meeting of Japan-US Southeast Associations; and WHEREAS, the Ambassador of Japan to the United States, Ambassador Yamada, visited Georgia in November of 2025 to meet with members of the Japanese community in the Atlanta area; 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 to 2025, 590 Georgians have participated in Japan's Japanese Exchange and Teaching (JET) program. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE 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 Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to the Consulate-General of Japan in Atlanta. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia Senate resolution recognizes the 52nd anniversary of the Consulate-General of Japan in Atlanta and commends its role in building ties between Georgia and Japan. ### Plain-language summary This resolution from the Georgia Senate honors the Consulate-General of Japan in Atlanta on its 52nd anniversary. It does not change any law; instead it formally recognizes the consulate's work over the decades to strengthen cultural, political, and economic connections between the Southeast United States and Japan. The resolution cites facts supporting this recognition, including $8.33 billion in trade between Georgia and Japan, about 700 Japan affiliated offices in Georgia employing 40,000 people, and the consulate's creation of Japan Fest in 1986. It also notes recent visits by Governor Brian Kemp to Japan and by Japan's ambassador to Georgia, as well as Japanese language study among Georgia students. The Senate directs its Secretary to send a copy of the resolution to the Consulate-General of Japan in Atlanta. ### What it does - Formally recognizes the 52nd anniversary of the Consulate-General of Japan in Atlanta on behalf of the Georgia Senate. - Commends the consulate for strengthening cultural, educational, political, and economic ties between Georgia and Japan. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and send a copy of the resolution to the Consulate-General of Japan in Atlanta. - Cites statistics on trade, business presence, and educational exchange to support the recognition, without creating any new legal requirement. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names the Consulate-General of Japan in Atlanta, Governor Brian Kemp, Japan's ambassador to the United States, and Georgia's Japanese community. It also references Georgia public school and university students studying Japanese and participants in the JET exchange program. ### Why it matters The resolution carries no legal or financial effect; it is a symbolic honor. Its practical significance lies in publicly acknowledging the economic and cultural relationship between Georgia and Japan, including trade and business ties that affect thousands of jobs in the state. ### Key provisions - The resolution's whereas clauses lay out the history and impact of the Consulate-General of Japan in Atlanta, including trade figures and business presence in Georgia. - The first resolving clause has the Senate recognize the 52nd anniversary and commend the consulate's efforts. - The second resolving clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute a copy of the resolution to the Consulate-General of Japan in Atlanta. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-02-06) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2026-02-06) - Sponsors: Frank Ginn, Sally Harrell, Jason Anavitarte, Kay Kirkpatrick, Drew Echols, Tonya Anderson, Blake Tillery, Greg Dolezal, Steve Gooch, Larry Walker, Elena Parent, Nan Orrock, Gail Davenport, Jaha Howard, Matt Brass, Kenya Wicks - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72896 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr712.md?full=1