JAST Welcomes Consul-General Yoichi Matsumoto

 
 

Consul-General Yoichi Matsumoto assumed his post as Consul-General of Japan in Nashville in January 2022. This is his first diplomatic assignment in the United States. The Consul-General has worked primarily in trade and investment fields during his three-plus decades in the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). He has extensive experience working with international organizations, including the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). He has participated in negotiations for several economic agreements between Japan and a multitude of nations and international groups.

Consul-General Matsumoto has held a variety of positions within the Economic Affairs Bureau at MOFA headquarters in Tokyo, most recently serving as the Director of the Division for Promotion of Public-Private Partnership. He has served overseas in the Permanent Mission of Japan to the International Organizations in Geneva, the Permanent Delegation of Japan to the OECD in Paris, and the Embassy of Japan in Bangladesh.

Consul-General Matsumoto was born in Tachikawa City and grew up in Fussa City, both part of Tokyo. He graduated from Hosei University in 1984 with a Bachelor’s in Economics and joined MOFA in 1985. Consul-General Matsumoto is married with two adult sons.
 

Reina Lyons Joins JAST Team
 
 

JAST is pleased to welcome Reina Lyons as our Manger, Japanese Community Outreach & Support Services. 

I am originally from Shiga Prefecture in Japan. After studying in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and working in Novi, Michigan, I moved with my husband to his home state of Tennessee in 2013. We started our family here in Nashville, and have established connections with many wonderful people in our community. I now call Tennessee my second home.

I have taught Japanese elementary and secondary school students for over 10 years at a Japanese private school in Michigan and the Japanese Saturday Supplementary School in Middle Tennessee. This is a great privilege for me to work for the Tennessee business community’s enrichment. I look forward to working at JAST for many years to come.
 

Join Us For Reading Between The Lines With JAST
 
 
 
Register Now
 

Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival

 
 

Join us on April 9th at the 2022 Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival, a free to the public, family-friendly celebration of spring and Japanese culture. Enjoy performances from Kaminari Taiko of Houston, The Candyman, the Kent Family Magic Circus and more traditional and contemporary artists. Check out the festival website for more information and updates.  
 

JAST Annual Meeting and

JAST Invitational Golf Classic

 
 

Welcome JAST New Members

 

L’Evate was formed in 1997 by community partners who had a vision to mentor the next generation of leaders connected to the community. L'Evate boasts more than 500 graduates of their leadership programs, all individuals who work or live in the community and are dedicated to supporting the mission of L’Evate. 
 
 

First Citizens Bank & Trust Company, known as First Citizens Bank, is a North Carolina state-chartered commercial bank headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina with Tennessee bank locations in Chattanooga, Franklin, Johnson City, Knoxville and Nashville. For 123 years, First Citizens Bank has helped businesses manage and grow their money.

 
 

Maeda Corporation USA is a Construction Management Company offering construction services to clients in the U.S.A. They provide clients with total customer satisfaction for all phases of the construction project. Maeda Corporation USA's headquarters was established in 1985, and is backed by the support of Maeda Corporation Japan.
 
 

Thompson & Smith is an insurance and risk management services provider based in Jackson, TN and providing products and services to manufacturing, wholesale, retail, hospitality, healthcare, and construction clients throughout the midsouth region. They offer property, casualty, equipment, workers’ compensation, and group benefits insurance as well as services to include safety training, claims administration and human resources consulting.

Upcoming NAJAS Events
 
 
 

Oceans cover more than 70 percent of the earth’s surface and are vital to the world economy. The ocean economy is estimated at $2.5 trillion in goods and services annually—equivalent to 5 percent of global GDP—and is the 7th largest economy in the world. However, increasing greenhouse gas emissions from human activities have had a significant impact, resulting in decline of marine life and extreme weather events. How is climate change posing a threat to the world’s oceans? What are the promises of a blue economy? In this webinar from Japan Society, speakers discuss how climate change is affecting marine life, with a particular focus on Okinawa’s waters, and the importance of transitioning to a sustainable ocean economy.

 
 

Join Japan Society of Northern California for a special talk featuring the Japanese American Museum of San Jose and learn about the history of Japanese immigrants in Northern California. Michael Sera, Board President at the Japanese American Museum of San Jose (JAMsj.org), will tell the overall history of Japanese immigrants to the Bay Area and Northern California in addition to the Japanese American community in the Bay Area today. He will also share why it is important to maintain and preserve this local community. This is a great opportunity to gain knowledge about the history of Japanese Americans and the lesser-known stories of San Jose Japantown.

 
 

In this round table discussion the Japan-America Society of Chicago will discuss the tools and techniques in creating a successful Japan related e-commerce business from scratch, some of the many challenges, and the importance of building a global community. Speaker Lillian Hanako Rowlatt is a half-Japanese Canadian currently living in Los Angeles. She co-founded Kokoro Care Packages as a way of connecting people to the traditions and culture of Japan through locally-made, artisanal foods. Lillian has always believed in the power of food to nourish one’s body while connecting people to the land and people who created it.

Guide to Daily Living in Tennessee 
 
 

JAST's Guide to Daily Living in Tennessee is now available! It's for newcomers and long-time residents originally from Japan to familiarize them with essential information on aspects of daily life that may differ from life in Japan and other parts of the world where they may have lived before relocating to Tennessee. Please let your Japanese friends know about this guide. We hope this will be helpful to our Japanese community!

https://www.jptnguide.org/ 

Partner Resources COVID-19 

JAST is generously supported by these outstanding partners
 
 
 
 
 
 

Austin Peay State University

Baker Donelson

Jack and Barbara Bovender

DENSO Manufacturing Tennessee, Inc.

Clay and Cathy Jackson

Komatsu America Corp.

The Mitsui U.S.A. Foundation 

Office: +1 615-663-6060

jastninfo@jastn.org

www.jastn.org