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4/1/2026
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General Assembly celebrates Japan Day
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 STATE HOUSE – Sen. Linda L. Ujifusa and House Speaker Pro Tempore Brian Patrick Kennedy hosted a celebration of Japan Day Tuesday at the State House and introduced a resolution recognizing March 31 as Japan Day to honor the warm relationship between Rhode Island and Japan.
“We are very fortunate here in Rhode Island to have had a long and friendly relationship with Japan — one that, to this day, contributes significantly to the culture, economy and security of both Rhode Island and Japan. I am very proud to celebrate that relationship, and I hope that we will continue to strengthen it,” said Senator Ujifusa (D-Dist. 11, Portsmouth, Bristol), who is the first Japanese-American elected to the Rhode Island General Assembly.
Said Representative Kennedy (D-Dist. 38, Hopkinton, Westerly), “Rhode Island and Japan have a unique friendship that dates back to 1853 when Rhode Island’s own Commodore Matthew Perry led an expedition to Japan that resulted in the signing of the treaty that established official relations between Japan and the United States. Rhode Island should always remember and celebrate that historic achievement and the respectful and enriching connections that our nation and our state share with Japan.”
The event was timed to coincide with the 172nd anniversary of the signing of U.S.-Japan Treaty of Peace and Amity on March 31, 1854. That treaty resulted from the first official diplomatic contact between the United States and Japan, which took place the year before, when Commodore Matthew Perry, born in South Kingstown, led an expedition of “Black Ships” to Japan under orders from President Millard Fillmore.
Today, Newport and the city of Shimoda, Japan, are sister cities and they, along with Bristol, R.I., host Black Ships festivals in a nod to Commodore Perry’s expedition. The Naval War College in Newport and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force also work closely together to promote national security and regional stability through shared resources, strategies and commitments.
Both the House and the Senate welcomed Seiichiro Takahashi, the consul general of Japan in Boston, for the celebration, and passed resolutions (2026-S 3172, 2026-H 8373) honoring the state’s rich relationship with Japan and declaring March 31 as Japan Day in Rhode Island.
The celebration included a reception featuring sushi made from fish from Shimoda. In addition to Consul Takahashi, Speaker Pro Tempore Kennedy and Senator Ujifusa, the event included remarks by Senate President Valarie J. Lawson (D-Dist. 14, East Providence) House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi (D-Dist. 23, Warwick), Gov. Dan McKee and Hiroshi Furuya, Senior vice president at Toray Plastics, whose parent company is headquartered Japan. Steve Aveson, who serves as Honorary Consul in Bristol, emceed.
Other guests included Consul Keisuke Kawamura, Consul Chieko Yoshida, Vice Consul Hideo Takahashi, Japan-American Society of Southern New England (JASNE) President Capt. Rob A.H. Dahlin, JASNE Vice President Mimi Morimura, Japan America Society (JASRI) and Black Ships Festival of Rhode Island President Maryanne Brandmeier, JASRI Board Member Deb Miller, National Cherry Blossom Princess Delegate Program Chairwoman Alexandria Monet Evers, Japanese faculty from Brown University, University of Rhode Island and the U.S. Naval War College, United States-Japan Foundation Senior Advisor Roger Nozaki and 2026 Rhode Island Cherry Blossom Princess Mya MacNeil of North Kingstown and Rhode Island FC midfielder Zachary Herivaux, who was born in Osaka, Japan.
IN PHOTO: From left, House Speaker Pro Tempore Brian Patrick Kennedy, Consul General Seiichiro Takahashi and Sen. Linda L. Ujifusa at a Japan Day reception at the State House Tuesday.
For more information, contact:
Meredyth R. Whitty, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 222-1923
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