The Consulate-General of Japan in Miami (CGJ-Miami) held a ceremony in Tallahassee, Florida, on the afternoon of July 24, to confer the "Imperial Decoration, the Order of the Rising Sun, Silver Rays" upon Lucy Ho, Senior Advisor of the Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC). At the same event, the "Japanese Foreign Minister’s Certificate of Commendation" was awarded to her business partner, Masatoshi Nagashima. This honor system in Japan was established in the early Meiji period to recognize those who have rendered meritorious service in civil diplomacy for Japan. Recipients of these honors must be reviewed by the Decoration Bureau of the Japanese Cabinet Office.
The award ceremony was co-organized by the Taiwanese American Association of Tallahassee (TAA). VIP guests included Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey, Director General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Miami (TECO-Miami) Charles Chou, Dean of the College of Music at Florida State University Todd Queen, Director of Florida Arts and Culture Division Sandy Shaughnessy, former Chair of the Leon County Commission Mary Ann Lindley, Florida and Wakayama Cultural Association Vice President Shigeko Honda, Florida First District Court of Appeal Judge Brad Thomas, former Tallahassee State College Vice President Robin Johnston, former President of the Asian Coalition of Tallahassee (ACT) Aurora Hansen, Florida Folklife Program (FFP) representative Dr. Dominick Tartaglia, one of the founders of the North Florida Chinese Association in 1978, Liang Yu Hsia, current President Daniel Lee of the North Florida Chinese Association, retired physician Scotty Huang, and TAA President Carl Huang. A total of 188 people participated in the event.
The event officially started at 6 p.m. and was hosted by Consul General Kazuhiro Nakai of CGJ-Miami. After the Japanese national anthem was sung, Consul General Nakai delivered a speech. He mentioned that in September 2021, just ten days after taking office, he participated in the Tallahassee Annual Festival (Experience Asia 2021) hosted by ACT. He noted Mrs. Lucy Ho's dedication to supporting Asian communities, especially Japanese communities, both financially and with her efforts, and thus recommended her for this honor. Director General Chou also shared that Mrs. Ho has lived in Tallahassee for over 60 years, opened many restaurants, and demonstrated talents in costume design and manufacturing. She has been creating costumes for the College of Music at Florida State University for 43 years before her retirement. Additionally, she takes special care of overseas Taiwanese and promotes Taiwan-US relations. In recognition of her achievements, Florida State University awarded her an honorary doctorate in humane literature in 2015. Tallahassee Mayor Dailey also designated October 27, 2023, as "Lucy Ho's Day" to celebrate her 92nd birthday.
Consul General Nakai then presented the Emperor's Commendation Certificate and the award to Mrs. Ho. Mrs. Ho expressed her gratitude to everyone for attending and stated that she would continue to work hard to serve the community. Consul General Nakai also introduced Masatoshi Nagashima’s contributions and presented him with a certificate of commendation from the Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs. After the ceremony, participants took photos and enjoyed a buffet in a relaxed atmosphere to deepen their friendships.
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