President’s Message

Hi everyone!

This month has been truly been filled with activities. First we bid farewell to Consul General Otsuka and Mrs. Haruhi Otsuka, both of whom I had the pleasure of getting to know over their three years in Vancouver. Consul General Otsuka’s kindness and social skills enabled himself to develop many wonderful relationships with people in our Nikkei community throughout British Columbia and the Yukon Territories. The Greater Vancouver Japanese Canadian Citizens’ Association wishes Consul General Otsuka and his wife Haruhi great success in his new assignment in Dubai. I am sure that new Consul General Hideki Ito, who recently arrived from Behrain, will also develop good relations in our Nikkei community. We warmly welcome him to Vancouver.

During this month, it was also announced that Consul Arata Nakae, his wife, and family, who we have had the honour of getting to know over the past three years and eight months will be leaving for his new assignment in Shenyang, People’s Republic of China. Nakae-san developed a wonderful relationship within the Nikkei community here in Vancouver and other parts of British Columbia. His warm heart and endless energy will be greatly missed. I am sure that all Nikkei organizations will greatly miss his wonderful smile and energy, his friendship and kindness. We wish him and his family the very best and I think he will be leaving with many wonderful memories of his stay here in Vancouver. The Greater Vancouver Japanese Canadian Citizens’ Association welcomes Mr. Yoichi Ikeda, who was formerly the Consul at the Consulate General of Japan in Busan, Republic of Korea.

The National Association of Japanese Canadians and the Greater Vancouver Japanese Canadian Citizens’ Association held the Honour Our People: Stories of the Internment Conference on September 25-27, 2009 at Nikkei Place, Burnaby. This Conference brought together many Canadian Nikkei to pay tribute to our generations of Japanese Canadians who experienced different hardships during and directly after World War II, and to hear them share these stories with their families and others. Our elders who were interned during this time came from many age groups so their reflections provided many points of view. We thank all who attended, whether to share or to listen.
Upcoming on October 17-18, Vancouver will be hosting the National Association of Japanese Canadian (NAJC) Annual General Meeting. This will be an important AGM as the NAJC membership will discuss the impact of the impending changes brought about by the changing global economy.

The GVJCCA would like to thank the many volunteers and supporters who help us out each year by holding a Volunteer Appreciation Night on November 22th at Nikkei Place from 6:30 – 8:00pm. This is always a special event for the GVJCCA, where we have an opportunity to thank all our volunteers, donors, and advertisers for their support over the past year. We hope you can attend and enjoy seeing your many friends again before getting ready for the busy holiday season in December. We hope to see many of you there!

Thank you
Ron Nishimura
President Greater Vancouver Japanese Canadian Citizens’ Association