The Consulate-General of the United States in Osaka-Kobe (), commonly referred to as the U.S. Consulate-General in Osaka, is a consular post of the United States in Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. The inclusion of "Kobe" in the name stems from its previous location in Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture.
The consulate has a public relations division known as the Kansai American Center.
Its jurisdictional area covers the Hokuriku region (excluding 3 prefectures of Niigata Prefecture), Kansai region (excluding 2 prefectures and 4 cities of Mie Prefecture), Chugoku region (excluding some towns and cities of Yamaguchi Prefecture), and all 4 prefectures of the Shikoku region.
History In 1867, it was established in Kobe as the U.S. Consulate in Kobe. The consulate in Kobe was closed in 1941 due to the outbreak of the Pacific War between Japan and the U.S. However, it reopened in 1953 after Japan's return to the international community.IIST WORLD FORUM No005-0022-j The Tale of the Kansai Consulate-General | International Institute for Trade Training
In 1961, the Kobe consulate was elevated to the U.S. Consulate-General in Kobe. In 1987, the consulate in Kobe was relocated to Osaka, initiating its operations as the Consulate-General of the United States in Osaka-Kobe.
On January 1, 1985, a bomb-related terrorist incident occurred in Chuo Ward, Kobe. The incident was orchestrated by the Chūkaku-ha, a radical leftist group in Japan. Around 5:57 am, three mortar rounds were fired at the U.S. Consulate in Kobe. Out of the three, two landed within the consulate's premises and one hit a nearby road. Fortunately, no one was harmed. The mortar-launching device was discovered attached to a bench in a nearby park. Following the incident, a man claiming to represent the "Chukaku-ha Revolutionary Army" claimed responsibility for the attack to various media outlets. This act was believed to have been carried out in protest against the strengthening of the Japan-U.S. alliance, as the Prime Minister at the time, Yasuhiro Nakasone, was scheduled to visit the U.S. on the same day.
Consul general Term Name Start date End date Notes Ralph J. Blake June 1952Frances McCall Rosenbluth and Michael F. Thies "Japan Transformed: Political Change and Economic Restructuring", Princeton University Press, 2010, p.158 William C. Sherman 1968 1970 William H. Bruns Records show service in 1975 and 1977 Robert Ludan 200240 years ago, Solo Sailing Reproduction / Mr. Horie set out for the Pacific Ocean | National News | Shikoku Newspaper Alexander Almazov 2002 2005Consulate-General Relay Lecture, Faculty of International Relations, Ritsumeikan University Daniel R. Russel August 2005 August 2008Commentary Room｜Yomiuri TV Edward K.H. Dong September 2008 2011Adult Culture Village ≫ Adult Culture Village (Episode 044) US Consul Edward Dong Patrick Joseph Linehan August 2011 July 2014 Head of the Kansai Consular CorpsMessage from the openly gay US Consul before leaving Japan – withnews2014 Hyogo/Kobe International Summit Participation | Activities of the Consulate General, Republic of Korea in Kobe Allen S. Greenberg August 2014 2017"U.S.-Japan Relations in 2015 and the Very Near Future” International Institute of American Studies, Doshisha University Karen Kelley August 2017 July 2020Consul General Karen Kelley | US Embassy & Consulates in Japan (Archive of March 6, 2019)Farewell Greeting on July 9, 2020 from Karen Kelley, US Consul General in Osaka-Kobe | Higashiosaka City Colin Fishwick July 2020 September 2020 Acting Consul GeneralFarewell Greetings from Karen Kelly U.S. Consul General, Osaka-Kobe | Japan–America Society of Kobe Richard Mei Jr. September 2020 2023 2023 (Incumbent)Jason R. Cubas – US Consul General in Osaka-Kobe – US Embassy & Consulates in Japan
See also Japan–United States relations Embassy of the United States, Tokyo
References
External links