Published on May 20th, 2021 | by Darren Paltrowitz
0The Hype Exclusive: Kanji Yamanouchi (Ambassador & Consul General of Japan in NY)
Ambassador Kanji Yamanouchi, Consul General of Japan in New York, assumed his post in September 2018. Yamanouchi has served in a wide range of posts since joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan in 1984, including 2 assignments to the Japanese Embassy in the United States: First Secretary of the Political Section in 1997, and Minister for Economic Affairs in 2013. Most recently, Yamanouchi served as Assistant Minister/Director-General for the Economic Affairs Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters. He also worked as Executive Assistant to the Prime Minister in 2011, when he dedicated himself to actualizing the government response to the historic 3.11 triple disaster.
Earlier this month, the Japan History Council of New York announced plans to launch the Digital Museum Of The History Of The Japanese In New York, making it the first East Coast digital archive to represent local historical figures of Japanese descent. The Digital Museum launch comes at a significant point of time, as May marks Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, bringing to the forefront the identity and experiences of Asian Americans throughout history. On May 18, 2021, I had the pleasure of participating in a media event presented by the Japan History Council Of New York and ask a question about the Digital Museum Of The History Of The Japanese In New York.
Following that event, I had the pleasure of speaking with Ambassador Kanji Yamanouchi via Zoom on May 20, 2021 about the aforementioned Digital Museum Of The History Of The Japanese In New York, his multi-faceted career, going viral via his guitar-based rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner,” his musical roots, and plenty more. Highlights from that conversation are embedded below.
More on the Digital Museum can be found here and here. The next “Friday Night Live” concert that Yamanouchi had discussed during our conversation will be happening on Friday, May 21, 2021 at 5:00 PM EST, while more information on Bentos For The Front Line can be found by clicking here.