平成１９年在留邦人叙勲伝達式での挨拶 2007年6月15日
在ヒューストン日本国総領事 加茂佳彦
Honored Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen:
It is my pleasure to welcome you this evening to the Museum of Modern Art here in Fort Worth to commemorate the conferral of the Order of the Rising Sun, Silver Rays, upon Mrs. Elaine Yoko Yamagata.
Although I travel regularly throughout the state of Texas, coming to Fort Worth is always a special treat for me. My past visits here have been extremely positive, and I am constantly amazed at what a rich city this is—politically, economically and culturally. With the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport just minutes away, this city is literally a gateway to Japan and the rest of the world, with flights to Tokyo, Seoul, Brazil and beyond. Fort Worth is also the birthplace of a number of prominent public figures, including the current US Ambassador to Japan Tom Schieffer, as well as the Texas Secretary of State Roger Williams. Fort Worth has a sizeable Japanese presence and active Japanese community, and the strong Japanese influence here can be seen throughout the city, from the Fort Worth Japanese Society’s “Yamagata Center,” named in honor of Mrs. Yamagata’s late husband, to the very museum we are in tonight, which was designed by the world-renowned architect Tadao Ando. In addition, the Japanese Garden at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden is world-famous and attracts thousands of visitors every year.
Fort Worth has become one of the leading cities in promoting the relationship between Japan and the United States, thanks in no small part to Mrs. Yamagata. She has made immeasurable contributions to the Japanese community here in North Texas, and has helped cultivate a long-lasting friendship between our two countries.
But before I introduce Mrs. Yamagata to you, allow me to briefly explain about the distinguished honor that she has been recognized with. The Order of the Rising Sun was established in 1875 by the Meiji Emperor and was the first such honor to be created by the Japanese government. There are six different categories of the Order, and it is presented to individuals—both Japanese citizens and foreign leaders—who have made outstanding contributions in their respective fields. Mrs. Yamagata is one of just over 4,000 recipients from around the world this year—and one of just 325 women—to have this high honor conferred upon her. Receiving some category of the Order this year along with Mrs. Yamagata are notables such as Kofi Annan, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Norman Mineta, a prominent Japanese-American politician who served as Secretary of both the Department of Commerce and the Department of Transportation, and former Japanese ambassador to the United States Takakazu Kuriyama.
Although most of you already know Mrs. Yamagata well, I would like to take a few moments to introduce her and highlight just a few of her many accomplishments.
Mrs. Yamagata’s devotion to the development of Japanese-US relations goes back many decades. She first moved to the great city of Fort Worth in 1970. In 1986, she, along with her husband the late Tadashi, founded the Forth Worth Japanese Society in pursuit of promoting friendship and mutual understanding between the Japanese and local communities. She served as president of that organization from 1989 to 1993, and is still actively involved as chairman emeritus. In addition, she has served for seventeen years as a trustee at the internationally-renowned Japanese-American National Museum in Los Angeles, California.
Mrs. Yamagata has been an active in building cultural bridges and mutual understanding between the United States and Japan on a very fundamental level. Over the past twenty years, she has participated in more than 200 exchange visits between Fort Worth and its Japanese sister city, Nagaoka, and the mayor of that city named her an Honorary Citizen for her hard work and dedication. In addition, in 1996, Mrs. Yamagata helped to organize an outstanding, year-long Japanese Festival known as “Sun and Star 1996.” The festival was held here in the Fort Worth-Dallas Metroplex to promote understanding of Japanese culture, and Mrs. Yamagata devoted an enormous amount of time working with the community, local schools, and teachers to introduce Japanese culture to the children here. It is my utmost belief that this kind of grassroots exchange is so important to the continued friendship and understanding between our two countries.
Mrs. Yamagata’s lifelong interest in the arts led her to eventually become Director and a member of the Executive Committee of the Van Cliburn Foundation, an organization established to sponsor semi-annual recitals for up-and-coming pianists. She brought that program to Japan in 1992, where the foundation sponsored some 20 recitals in 10 years. It is clear from all of this that Mrs. Yamagata has made significant contributions to the enhancement of friendly relations between Japan and the United States.
Mrs. Yamagata has received a number of awards throughout her life. We would be here until well into the night if I were to list them all for you right now, but please allow me to mention just a few. In 1997, she received the “Certificate of International Goodwill” from the city of Nagaoka, in recognition of her contributions to the sister-city relationship between Fort Worth and Nagaoka. Last year, on the occasion of its 50th anniversary, Sister Cities International awarded her the “Volunteer of the Year Award” for her more than twenty years of promoting that sister-city exchange. She was also recognized last year by the Dallas-Fort Worth Japan America Society with the “Bridges-to-Friendship Award,” given to individuals or organizations which help foster friendship and understanding between Japanese and Americans in the Fort Worth-Dallas area. Last, but certainly not least, she was recognized by the Japanese government in October of 2002 with the prestigious Foreign Minister’s Award.
As if all of these accomplishments were not enough for one person to achieve, Mrs. Yamagata has led an active life in the business sector as well. She established A&A International with her husband in 1955, which later merged with the Tandy Corporation and ultimately became the Radio Shack Corporation. When she retired in 1989, she was president of Tandy’s international division, with annual sales exceeding $1.5 billion. It is clear that Mrs. Yamagata is tireless in her devotion for whatever endeavor she is pursuing—from promoting the arts, to encouraging grass roots international exchange, to establishing herself as an accomplished businesswoman.
I am sincerely grateful for Mrs. Yamagata’s outstanding contributions in helping to enhance the friendly relations between Japan and the United States. I would like to close this evening by taking this opportunity to express my heartfelt congratulations to her on this momentous occasion.