# Consulate General of the United States, Sapporo

Consulate-General of the United States in Sapporo is a consulate-general of the United States located in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. It was established on April 28, 1952.

## History

Although the U.S. Consulate in Sapporo was established after World War II, the history of U.S. consular offices in Hokkaido dates back to the late Edo period.

### Prehistory (1854–1865)

On March 31, 1854, following the signing of the Treaty of Kanagawa, relations between Japan and the United States were established. This led to the immediate opening of Shimoda, and the opening of Hakodate (now Hakodate) a year later, as well as the permission for Americans to reside in Shimoda and Hakodate. On April 28, 1857, American diplomat Elisha Rice arrived in Hakodate as a trade officer. On August 23, 1857, Rice started his residence in Hakodate with the endorsement of Hotta Masamitsu.

### U.S. Consulate in Hakodate (1865–1876)

On January 18, 1865, Rice, the trade officer, was appointed as the first consul in Hakodate, establishing the U.S. Consulate in Hakodate. Consul Rice held his position until November 2, 1870. Following him, two consuls and two vice-consuls served. The last consul, Merriman Colbert Harris, served from November 6, 1875, to October 5, 1876. In 1876, the U.S. Consulate in Hakodate was closed. The building used as the consulate no longer exists, but a signpost marking the "Former U.S. Consulate Site" stands in Yayoi-cho 4-chome in Hakodate City.

### U.S. Consular Agency in Hakodate (1876 – 1883/1904 – 1918)

In 1876, the U.S. Consular Agency in Hakodate was established in place of the consulate. On January 3, 1877, the former consul, Merriman Harris, took office as the first consular agent and served until February 12, 1879. The agency was temporarily closed in 1883 but reopened in 1904. On May 2, 1904, Edward Julian King became the consular agent and held the position until September 30, 1918. On November 15 of the same year, the U.S. Department of State officially closed the consular agency in Hakodate. Until the end of World War II, there was no U.S. consular presence in all of Hokkaido, including Hakodate.

### Sapporo Branch, Office of the U.S. Political Adviser (1950–1952)

After World War II, the United States established the Sapporo Branch, Office of the U.S. Political Adviser. This office served as the predecessor of the U.S. Consulate in Sapporo and played a significant role in supporting the establishment of the local government system in Hokkaido.

### U.S. Consulate in Sapporo (1952–1986)

On April 28, 1952 (Shōwa 27), with the enforcement of the San Francisco Peace Treaty, Japan regained its independence. Accompanying this, the political adviser's office in Sapporo was closed, and the U.S. Consulate in Sapporo (Consulate of the United States in Sapporo, U.S. Consulate Sapporo) was inaugurated. This was the first establishment of a U.S. consular office in Hokkaido in 34 years and the very first U.S. consulate in Sapporo in history. David Lawrence Osborne was appointed as the inaugural consul, in what was essentially a promotion. In 1955 (Shōwa 30), the consulate relocated to North 1, West 13, Chuo-ku, Sapporo. Then, in 1978 (Shōwa 53), it moved to its current building near Maruyama Park.

### U.S. Consulate-General in Sapporo (1986–present)

On November 21, 1986 (Shōwa 61), the consulate was elevated to become the U.S. Consulate-General in Sapporo.

## Consuls general

Since the establishment of the U.S. Consulate in Sapporo in 1952, several consuls general have served. Below is a list of the consuls general:
| Name | Date of Appointment | Date of Departure | Notes |
| Elisha E. Rice | August 23, 1857 | January 18, 1865 | Trade Officer |
| Elisha E. Rice | January 18, 1865 | November 2, 1870 | Consul (Retained) |
| Ambrose C. Dunn | November 3, 1870 | May 15, 1871 | Consul |
| Nathan Emory Rice | May 16, 1871 | July 14, 1871 | Vice Consul |
| Elisha E. Rice | July 15, 1871 | October 6, 1871 | Consul (Reappointed) |
| George E. Rice | October 7, 1871 | March 31, 1872 | Vice Consul |
| John Hart Hawes | April 1, 1872 | November 6, 1875 | Consul |
| Merriman Colbert Harris | November 6, 1875 | October 5, 1876 | Vice Consul |
| Merriman Colbert Harris | January 3, 1877 | February 12, 1879 | Acting Consul (Retained) |
| John H. Duss | February 12, 1879 | August 25, 1880 | Acting Consul |
| William C. Davisson | August 25, 1880 | September 19, 1882 | Acting Consul |
| Lee W. Squier | September 19, 1882 | July 18, 1883 | Acting Consul |
| Vacancy | | | |
| Edward Julian King | March 2, 1904 | September 30, 1918 | Acting Consul |
| Vacancy | | | |
| William L. Magistretti | January 1950 | October 1950 | Political Advisor |
| Richard Boswell Finn | October 1950 | February 1951 | Political Advisor |
| David Lawrence Osborn | February 1951 | April 1952 | Political Advisor |
| David Lawrence Osborn | 1952 | 1953 | Consul (Retained) |
| William Magistretty | 1953 | 1953 | Consul |
| Harry. F. Pfeiffer Jr. | 1953 | 1954 | Consul |
| Daniel Meloy | 1954 | 1956 | Consul |
| Kingdon W. Swayne | 1956 | 1958 | Consul |
| John Knowles | 1958 | 1960 | Consul |
| Ronald A. Gaiduk | 1960 | 1963 | Consul |
| John Sylvester Jr. | 1963 | 1965 | Consul |
| William Clark Jr. | 1965 | 1967 | Consul |
| William Tully Breer | 1967 | 1968 | Consul |
| Martin G. Heflin | 1968 | 1971 | Consul |
| Sunao Sakamoto | 1971 | 1973 | Consul |
| Stephen Martin Ecton | 1973 | 1975 | Consul |
| Lawrence F. Farrar | 1975 | 1977 | Consul |
| Donald B. Westmore | 1977 | 1979 | Consul |
| Christopher J. LaFleur | 1979 | 1980 | Consul |
| Charles F. Kartman | 1980 | 1982 | Consul |
| Robert C. Reis Jr. | 1982 | 1984 | Consul |
| Mark C. Minton | 1984 | 1986 | Consul |
| John R. Dinger | 1986 | November 1986 | Consul |
| John R. Dinger | November 1986 | 1989 | Chief Consul (Retained) |
| Roger L. Dankert | 1989 | 1992 | Chief Consul |
| Dennis J. Ortblad | 1992 | 1995 | Chief Consul |
| Richard M. Gibson | 1995 | 1996 | Chief Consul |
| Marlene J. Sakaue | 1997 | 1998 | Chief Consul |
| W. Michael Meserve | 1998 | 2001 | Chief Consul |
| Alec P. Wilczynski | 2001 | 2004 | Chief Consul |
| Marrie Y. Schaefer | 2004 | 2007 | Chief Consul |
| Donna Ann Welton | 2007 | 2010 | Chief Consul |
| John Ries | August 2010 | June 2013 | Chief Consul |
| JoEllen Gorg | September 2014 | August 2016 | Principal Consul |
| Rachel Brunette-Chen | August 2016 | July 2019 | Principal Consul |
| Andrew Lee | August 2019 | August 2022 | Chief Consul |
| Mark Wuebbels | August 2022 | Present | Principal Consul |