On February 18, Secretary-General Lim Byung-jin visited the Consulate-General of Japan in Jeju and met with Consul General Takeda Katsutosh. During the meeting, Lim provided an overview of NEAR, its recent achievements, the participation status of Japanese member governments in NEAR activities, and major events planned for this year. He also requested the Consulate-General's interest and support in encouraging Japanese prefectures closely related to Korea, such as Kyushu and Shikoku, to participate in NEAR activities and to join the membership. Additionally, he expressed his gratitude to Takeda for accepting the request to deliver a congratulatory speech at the "2025 NEAR Member Workshop," scheduled to be held in Jeju this March.
In response, Consul General Takeda acknowledged NEAR’s significant role in facilitating exchanges and cooperation among regional governments in Northeast Asia and expressed his appreciation for Lim’s invitation to the "2025 NEAR Member Workshop." He also showed interest in NEAR’s organization, recent activities, as well as the structure and operations of the Secretariat. Furthermore, he stated that he would take continuous interest in NEAR and work closely with the Secretariat.
Since his appointment to the Consulate-General of Japan in Jeju in August 2022, Consul General Takeda has been actively working to promote exchanges between Jeju and Japan.