Virsa Perkins, the Principal Officer at the U.S. Consulate in Fukuoka since July, held her inaugural press conference on September 17. A State Department officer since 2008 with postings in Bangladesh, the Netherlands, and Afghanistan—and four years at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo in economic roles—she pledged to strengthen U.S.–Japan cooperation in the economy and security while deepening community-level exchanges. Speaking in Japanese, she noted personal ties to Japan, including the birth of her twins here. On the Trump administration’s tighter screening of foreign students, she said rigorous vetting must be balanced with facilitating legitimate travel to protect U.S. security. Regarding tariff policy and Kyushu’s auto industry, she said the strong U.S.–Japan economic relationship will remain robust under the current administration. Source: NHK
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