The Japanese Consulate will be moving its central southern region office from New Orleans to Nashville next month. Last night, the state hosted a reception for outgoing Consular General Masaru Satako, who says Tennessee’s economic importance is growing.
“We have many more Japanese companies in this state. And actually, more than 80%of the total Japanese residents in my whole, entire jurisdiction now live in Tennessee and Kentucky.”
The jurisdiction Satako refers to consists of Arkansas, Mississippi, Kentucky, Louisiana and Tennessee. Satako saw the office through Hurricane Katrina, collecting some $40 million in donations from Japan in the aftermath of the storm.
Being nearer to the main population of Japanese people, as well as the economic conditions were the reasons for the move from New Orleans, not the storm.
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