Please help keep the Japanese Consulate in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina

Please sign this petition to show your support for keeping the Japanese Consulate in New Orleans! New Orleans has lost enough after hurricane Katrina, please help to keep this cultural gem in New Orleans where it belongs.

Below is a letter written to the Honorable Taro Aso, foreign minister of Japan.

October 2nd, 2006

Honorable Taro Aso
Foreign Minister of Japan
Kasumigaseki 2-2-1
Chiyoda-Ku
Tokyo, Japan, 100-8919

Dear Mr. Taro Aso,

We are writing to you as a result of information we recently received. Last week we were told that the Consulate General of Japan in New Orleans was being relocated to the State of Tennessee. This letter is to respectfully request that you reconsider this decision if, in fact, it has been made.

Now more than ever, the City of New Orleans needs its corporate structure to remain intact, and for its friends and supporters to play a part in the rebuilding of our great city. We hope that the Consulate General’s Office will remain in New Orleans and participate in this rebirth of a city that has been acclaimed as an international treasure.

The City of New Orleans and its people are an integral part of the Gulf South Region. Because of the tenacity of its people, the city is on the way to being bigger and better than ever. Some points that illustrate this are as follows:

• The United States government has appropriated over $110 billion to rebuild the United States Gulf Coast. Most of this money will go to Louisiana, and most of Louisiana money will go to New Orleans.
• The Port of New Orleans is back in operation and currently processing more tonnage than before Hurricane Katrina. The Port of New Orleans is especially important to the United States for the import and export of foreign goods.
• While the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and the Louisiana Superdome both received extensive damage as a result of Hurricane Katrina, renovations to both have already been completed and they are ready for business. The Superdome received national, as well as international, exposure when the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League played their first home game of the 2006 season on September 25, 2006.
• As you probably know, recently a huge new oil deposit was discovered only 230 miles from New Orleans in the Gulf of Mexico. This oil discovery is so large, it has been estimated that United States oil reserves will be increased by 50%. We believe that in the future this discovery will not only pump more money into the local economy, but the affordable energy available from here will become very attractive to many Japanese companies which want to locate in the United States. The Consulate Office here in New Orleans will undoubtedly help to facilitate the transfer of these future Japanese companies.
• Tourism is a big part of the New Orleans economy. New Orleans area tourism agencies will receive approximately $28 million in federal money to promote tourism and help to showcase the status of attractions and businesses that were not affected by the hurricane and those being revitalized. It will also promote the return of the conventions, large and small, to New Orleans, many of which have already taken place or have been scheduled. We are certain that more citizens from Japan will visit New Orleans than the town you are planning to relocate to in Tennessee. This is because the city of New Orleans is well known as one of the seven unique cities in the United States.
• Before Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans had an excellent cruise ship business. After the hurricane, the cruise lines temporarily moved to other ports, but some have returned or are in the process of returning to New Orleans.
• When people think of New Orleans they think of music. They immediately think of jazz music. We do love our jazz, but we are also a city known for its multi-cultural attractions. The cultural stature of New Orleans is enhanced by its artistic exchanges with our Japanese friends, both in Louisiana and Japan. As an example of the resiliency of New Orleans musicians, the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, which is an outstanding group of musicians, has continued to provide its music to the citizens of New Orleans. The Orpheum Theater, home of the Philharmonic, was heavily damaged by the hurricane and is being renovated. The Philharmonic thought it was important to have a regular season this year. They began the season on September 16, 2006, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center Theater. They will perform at various theaters in the metropolitan area of New Orleans.
• In keeping with the importance of music, the city has many festivals that attract tourists from the world over. The two international festivals, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and the French Quarter Festival, were both held this year and were attended by record making crowds. The Mardi Gras celebration was also held this year and promises to be better than ever in 2007.
• There is also an annual Japanese festival in New Orleans. Thousands of people attend the festival even though it is only a one-day event. We believe that the Consulate Office here plays an important role in this festival which attracts many ordinary Americans. Although currently the population of the Japanese people living here may not be compared to Tennessee, the interests in our community in Japanese cultures are beyond description. If one of the purposes of the Consulate Office is to serve and introduce Japanese culture, as well as help accelerate the understanding between both cultures, then the Consulate Office here is doing a wonderful job.
• The City of New Orleans and the State of Louisiana have signed contracts with movie production companies for several movies to be filmed in the area. The historical significance and beauty of the city, as well as an improved tax structure, has attracted the Hollywood industry. The New Orleans area is known as “Hollywood South” because of the many movies being filmed here.
• New Orleans is also widely known for its cuisine. There are more than 400 restaurants currently open in New Orleans, many of which are highly rated culinary award winners. Many more are slated to open soon. In addition to the world-renowned restaurants in New Orleans, many prominent chefs throughout the United States have been trained in New Orleans.
• The hotel industry has also rebounded very well and is set to accommodate its usual tourist trade. While some are in process of renovation, new hotels have recently opened. The casino industry in New Orleans, which is a major contributor of taxes to the economy of Louisiana, has experienced record business since the hurricane.

We would like to point out that Japan’s New Orleans Consulate Office is one of the oldest. Author Koizumi Yakumo lived here in New Orleans before moving to Japan. To commemorate his name, American and Japanese who live here have built a Japanese garden. The garden’s name is “Yakumo Nihon Teien.” The garden is 90% completed at the present time and includes beautiful gifts from our Japanese sister city, Matsue. In addition, the city has many close historical ties to Japan. A prominent Japanese named Jokichi Takamine married a woman from New Orleans and started a business here. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many government officials such as Dan Takuma visited New Orleans, because this city was essential to visit. We believe it is still essential.

Finally, we would like to emphasize that by moving the Consulate at a time of unprecedented damages to the New Orleans area from Hurricane Katrina, the Japanese government risks creating the perception that it is abandoning the community. We believe that this is contrary to its existing Japanese reputation and character, which is steadfast and resolute.

Attached to this correspondence are the signatures of many Louisiana citizens who all support our request to keep the Japanese Consulate here in New Orleans.

Cc: Honorable Yoshihide Suga; Internal affairs and communications Minister
2-1-2, Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan 100-8926