Camp Chickamauga Christmas Celebration Reminisces on Beppu-US Cooperation

December 15, 2005

Beppu - Mayor Hiroshi Hamada, the Junior Chamber of Commerce, the International Soroptomists and other Beppu citizens held a Christmas Celebration at Beppu Park to commemorate US-Japanese friendship and the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II when they lit a live Christmas tree planted by US forces in Beppu just after the end of the war. The ceremony commemorated Camp Chickamauga, the US army base that was in Beppu until the mid 1950s. Consulate Principal Officer Joyce Wong joined Mayor Hamada in talking to a crowd of about 400 people about the strong relations between Japan and the United States and Public Affairs Officer John Dyson appeared as Santa.