Consul general of Japan to visit Orkney

The consul general of Japan, based in Edinburgh, will visit Orkney this week.

On Tuesday evening, Hajime Kitaoka will give a public talk about the relationship between Japan and Scotland from his personal perspective, at the Pier Arts Centre in Stromness.

Mr Kitaoka said: “Scotland is a nation still continuing to fascinate me, ever since my first visit 34 years ago as a language trainee of the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

“Based on my own diplomatic career and Scottish-Japanese history over the last 150 years, I want to discuss my viewpoint of this beloved and mysterious country.”

The rest of his two-day visit will be spent meeting with OIC officials and teachers to discuss the present state and future possibilities for teaching Japanese language and culture in Orkney, and in Scotland more broadly.

He will also visit Kirkwall Grammar School and Stromness Academy to meet the students participating in the Japanese programme.

The consul general’s talk will take place at 7.30pm on Tuesday, March 22, and admission is free.