FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Consul-General Hiroshi Sato will speak on "U.S.-Japan Relations in the 21st Century" at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, in Giffels Auditorium, Old Main. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Hiroshi Sato arrived in the United States on Oct. 10, 2008, to head the Consulate-General of Japan in Nashville, which serves the five-state region of Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee. Japan is the first and only country to hold a Consulate-General in the state of Tennessee.

Sato’s motto for the Consulate-General of Japan in Nashville is to make this consulate “accessible, dependable and positive for the people.”

“Japan’s presence in the South is increasingly visible with more and more Japanese companies investing in the region. Japan ranks first in foreign direct investment in Kentucky and Tennessee, and now we have over 9,000 Japanese residents in our five-state service area,” said Sato.

He said that one of his consulate’s primary missions is to offer services to fellow Japanese citizens living and traveling within the five-state jurisdiction to ensure they lead safe and comfortable lives in the United States. 

“Another important mission is to promote and assist with cultural and grassroots exchanges as well as business partnerships between the two. Although it may be said that Japan-U.S. relationships are in a golden age, it is vital for us, both Japanese and Americans, to solidify this partnership and ensure it is everlasting by promoting mutual understanding at the grassroots level,” said Sato.

Hiroshi Sato entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1973. His overseas assignments include the embassies of Japan in Washington, D.C, Malaysia, New Zealand and the Philippines. Among other posts, he also served as First Secretary of the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations, Political Counselor of the Embassy of Japan in Egypt, Director of Ocean Affairs and Director for Protection of Japanese Nationals Overseas. He served as Deputy Consul General of Japan in New York and in Hong Kong, China, before he assumed his current position.

In his free time, he enjoys playing golf and guitar and has performed at the legendary Station Inn.