WASHINGTON—United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and former U.S. Ambassador to Japan, tonight released the following statement after Tennessean Greg Kelly received a verdict in Japanese court:
“I was happy to learn from our U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel the news that I along with many others, but most importantly Greg Kelly, have been waiting for: Greg is coming home. I know that Greg and his family are overwhelmed with the support they have received and are relieved to know Greg can finally return to the United States. I personally look forward to welcoming him at Nashville’s International Airport in the very near future for his homecoming.
“This news out of Japan would not be possible without the dedicated and diligent work of so many, including: Ambassador Emanuel and the entire staff at U.S. Embassy Tokyo, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Dan Kritenbrink and the staff at the Japan Desk, NSC Coordinator for the Indo-Pacific Kurt Campbell and his White House colleagues, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun, former Counselor Ulrich Brechbuhl, U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, Marsha Blackburn, Ben Cardin, Chris Van Hollen, Marco Rubio, and Mike Lee, Representative Mark Green, former Senator Lamar Alexander, and former U.S. Ambassadors to Japan Caroline Kennedy, John Roos, and Tom Schieffer.
“Greg has been subjected to circumstances corporate America could never contemplate. What should have been a corporate board room discussion, landed in the Tokyo prosecutors office. Greg is innocent of the charges levied against him, and I am more than pleased that he is coming home to Tennessee.”
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