RESOLUTION
Whereas, The Consulate-General of Japan was established on December 1, 1897 in Chicago to further the development of commercial, economic, cultural and scientific relations between Japan and the United States in the region; and
Whereas, The City of Chicago enjoyed a part of Japan through the Phoenix Pavilion at the Columbian Exposition that was built in 1893 with the cooperation of Japanese craftsmen; and
Whereas, After the Pavilion burned down in 1946, the City of Chicago replanted and rededicated a Japanese garden on that site in 1981 as a reminder of the cultural ties between the two countries and chose that location as the site for Yoko Ono's "Sky Landing" in 2016, her first permanent public art installation in the United States; and
Whereas, The City of Chicago and Japan have shared common values built on people-to-people exchanges, including academic exchange and a sister-city relationship that has helped strengthen mutual trust and understanding; and
Whereas, The City of Chicago is home to 38 Japanese business entities and Japan is the fifth largest export destination from Chicago for a total of 16 billion dollars and 3.5% of overall exports from the City, nurturing the development of Chicago as a global city through a two-way economic partnership; and
Whereas, Japanese expatriates, Japanese immigrants and Japanese-Americans have made an important contribution to the diverse and harmonious community of the City of Chicago; now, therefore
Be it Resolved, That we, the Mayor and the members of the Chicago City Council assembled this eighth day of November, 2017, do hereby officially recognize the 120th Anniversary of the establishment of the Consulate-General of Japan in Chicago and do hereby look forward to many more years of continued friendship and economic partnership; and