New Japanese Consul to Arrive in Atlanta Next Week

Japan‘s new consul general for five Southeastern states will arrive in Atlanta Sept. 14.

Takuji Hanatani will represent Japan in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

His predecessor Shoji Ogawa left Atlanta in July to become Japan’s ambassador to Iraq. U.S. and Iraqi officials are encouraging governments to establish embassies in the country as it continues to stabilize.

Mr. Hanatani is a career diplomat, most recently serving as deputy head of mission at the Japanese embassy in Brussels, Belgium. He has also held posts in Brasilia, Brazil; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Geneva; Nairobi, Kenya, and Paris.

Mr. Hanatani will represent Japanese business interests and provide visa services to the country’s citizens living in or visiting the Atlanta region.

There are 763 Japanese companies operating in the consul’s five-state jurisdiction, representing $20.8 billion in investment and employing 95,000 people.

Other duties include organizing cultural and educational events including JapanFest, an annual two-day celebration of Japanese culture at the Gwinnett Convention Center starting Sept. 27.

Japan has a consular office in Nashville, Tenn., serving five other Southeastern states—Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Kentucky and Tennessee—and a consluate general in Miami for Florida.