Ambassador Ishikawa’s Official Visit to Prince Edward Island
Ambassador Ishikawa conducted an official visit to the province of Prince Edward Island, visiting the capital city of Charlottetown from May 13 to 14. During his trip to the province, he made courtesy calls on a number of dignitaries including The Honourable Frank Lewis, Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island; The Honourable Robert Ghiz, Premier of Prince Edward Island; The Honourable Carolyn Bertram, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island; and His Worship Clifford Lee, Mayor of the City of Charlottetown. Ambassador Ishikawa also met and exchanged views with many people from the University at Prince Edward Island and Holland College.
In his meetings, Ambassador Ishikawa expressed his deep gratitude for the warm support that Japan received from residents of Prince Edward Island following the Great East Japan Earthquake. He reiterated his gratitude for the support given to the local Japanese community as well as to the many Japanese tourists who visit the province to see the scene of the Canadian novel “Anne of Green Gables” which is a bestseller in Japan. He also had an opportunity to explain the current situation of recovery from the disaster as well as engage in an exchange of ideas in various meetings with dignitaries to further strengthen the relationship between Japan and Prince Edward Island in the fields of trade, tourism, and educational exchange.
In the meeting with His Worship Clifford Lee, Mayor of the City of Charlottetown, Ambassador Ishikawa and Mr. Lee discussed the sister city relationship between Charlottetown and Ashibetsu City, Hokkaido and the fact that next year the two cities will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the sister city relationship. Furthermore, he learned that in 2013, Charlottetown will be celebrating 150 years since the Charlottetown Conference of 1864 was held in which the Canadian Confederation was first discussed.
Through his trip to Prince Edward Island, Ambassador Ishikawa enriched his understanding of the current situation in the province and learned that the province is not only famous for its lobster fishing industry and potato farming but is also enthusiastic in the field of education and is grappling with the high-tech industry. His experience gave him a renewed recognition of the importance of further strengthening relations between Japan and the province of Prince Edward Island, a province that many Japanese tourists visit.
|
