May 22 - From 1983 to 1985 I worked in the Consular Section of the American Consulate in the Kansai. Located in Kobe City, our Consulate had responsibility for the entire region so I frequently visited Osaka City where I enjoyed eating inexpensive and delicious food such as takoyaki, attending high school baseball games at Koshien stadium, and celebrating Hanshin Tigers victories on a hot summer night with a beer in the Dotombori district. With so many fond memories, I was delighted to return to Osaka last week to talk with Osaka business and political leaders about ways to strengthen U.S. relations with the region.

First I met with the leadership of the Kansai American Chamber of Commerce. These young and energetic businessmen impressed me with their long experience living in the Kansai and their excellent Japanese. They were full of good ideas and predicted a bright future for Osaka economy and for U.S.-Kansai reactions. I thought that Osaka was fortunate to have attracted so many young, American entrepreneurs who want to grow their businesses and help Osaka prosper.

In my meetings with businessmen from the Osaka Chamber of Commerce, Kansai Keizai Doyukai, and Kansai Economic Federation, I was impressed by their bochi bochi denna spirit of resilience in the face of adversity. These business leaders all expressed interest in my assessment of the United States economy. Most expressed the hope that President Obama's economic stimulus package would soon restore U.S. economic growth. One businessman said that until the United States recovered, the Japanese economy would not improve. Several pointed out that Osaka companies wanted to partner with American companies in areas like solar power generation and energy saving technologies to help the United States improve its energy efficiency.

I also met with Osaka Governor Hashimoto who conveyed the warm Osaka hospitality that I remembered so well from my two years living in the Kansai. I immediately felt comfortable in his office. He too thought that Osaka companies, with their advanced technology, could contribute to U.S. efforts to improve our energy efficiency and reduce our carbon footprint. He was also interested in U.S. economic prospects.

I returned to Tokyo with the impression that Osaka leaders understood our futures are closely intertwined. As the United States prospers, Japan will prosper and vice versa. Just as I hope to see Osaka's economy recover soon, so too did my counterparts want to see an economic revival in the United States. Likewise, to address global warming, we can only succeed by working together. Twenty-five years ago, I remember Osaka City inviting me to an evening boat ride down the Okawa River to admire the Tenjin Festival fireworks. In my meetings last week we could agree that when it comes to the economy and the environment, the United States and Japan are still moving along in the same boat.

Until next time,

Jim