Country Briefing: Japan
VIEW EVENT DETAILSOff-the-record presentation by Yuji Kumamaru, Consul-General and Ambassador of Japan in Hong Kong
One year after being hit by natural calamities Japan is faced with the monumental task of having to rebuild entire coastal communities. On the first anniversary of the March 11 disaster, the earthquake — the strongest recorded in Japan's history — triggered a tsunami that swelled along the northeastern coast, leaving 20,000 dead or missing and causing widespread destruction with close to 325,000 people still in temporary housing. The Consul-General and Ambassador of Japan in Hong Kong will provide an update on the latest developments in Japan; discuss ties between Japan and China, and also speak about Hong Kong's role in this relationship.
Yuji Kumamaru has been Consul-General and Ambassador of Japan in Hong Kong since October 2011 having served as Consul-General here since 2010. Prior to his Hong Kong posting, he was based in Thailand. During his diplomatic career, Amb. Kumamaru has served as Consul-General of Japan in Shanghai and Minister of the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations in New York. Amb. Kumamaru joined the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1975.