Dr. Shigemi FURUTA awarded the Consul-General’s Commendation

                
     The Consul-General’s Commendation presentation ceremony for Dr. Shigemi FURUTA, the former Director, Japan, of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) was held at The Hongkong Japanese Club on 5 June (Dr. FURUTA is currently serving as a visiting professor at Sun Yat-Sen Business School of Sun Yat-Sen University and is a distinguished professor at the Graduate School of Business Administration of the University of Kitakyushu.).
               
     The Consul-General’s Commendation is an award presented by Consul-Generals in respective countries and regions to individuals or groups who have contributed to the promotion of mutual understanding and friendship between Japan and foreign countries and regions such as Hong Kong and Macau.
              
     Dr. Shigemi FURUTA was the first Japanese member of staff to work at the HKTDC in 1982. After serving as the Director of the Osaka office and the Director of the Japan Division in the Overseas Department at the Head Office in Hong Kong, she became the Director, Japan in July 2005. She has worked in the Japan-related departments of HKTDC for 30 years in total, and during that period, she served as the Director, Japan for 10 years and 8 months, from July 2005 to March 2016.
              
     Dr. FURUTA’s distinguished achievements as the Director, Japan, HKTDC include “Expanding the presence of Japan in Hong Kong”; “Promoting the presence of Hong Kong in Japan”; “Developing the relationship between Japanese local governments/organizations and Hong Kong”; and “Deepening the relationship between the Japanese and Hong Kong economic communities”. Dr. FURUTA has contributed greatly to the promotion of mutual understanding and friendship between Japan and Hong Kong. The Consul-General’s Commendation was therefore presented to acknowledge her significant achievements.