The Honorary Consulate of Japan in Bristol is an honorary consular post of Japan in Bristol, Rhode Island. It is run by an honorary consul – a volunteer, not a career diplomat – who helps Japanese citizens locally; passports, visas and most other formal consular services are handled by the Consulate General of Japan in Boston.
Contact Details
| Address | 41 Constitution Street, Bristol, RI 02809, United States |
| Telephone | +1 401-639-1616 |
| steve.aveson@gmail.com | |
| Honorary Consul | Steve Aveson |
Opening Hours
No regular opening hours are published by the Japanese foreign ministry. Call or e-mail the honorary consulate to arrange a visit.
Location of the Honorary Consulate
Before your visit
- He was appointed by the Japanese foreign minister on 1 July 2024.
- According to the Japanese foreign ministry, honorary consuls are usually citizens of the receiving country and not government officials; they support the protection of Japanese nationals and cultural exchange.
- Services: according to the Japanese foreign ministry, the honorary consulate does not issue passports or visas or notarise documents.
- Location: The honorary consulate is in Bristol, Rhode Island, about 1.3 km in a straight line from the centre of Bristol; the nearest large airport is Logan International Airport (BOS), about 80 km away. (distances: OpenStreetMap, airports: FAA passenger boarding data CY 2025)
About the Honorary Consulate of Japan in Bristol
The honorary consul is Steve Aveson, according to the Japanese foreign ministry. It is one of 2 honorary consulates of Japan in the United States listed by the Japanese foreign ministry. Japan also has 15 career consular posts in the United States and its embassy in Washington, D.C. In Japan, the United States is represented by the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo (jp.usembassy.gov), according to the Congressional Directory.
Which Japanese office handles passports and visas?
For passports, visas and other formal consular services, Rhode Island belongs to the consular district of the Consulate General of Japan in Boston, according to the Japanese foreign ministry. The honorary consulate in Bristol can help with first steps and pass on documents, but it does not replace that office.
Contact details of the Japanese Consulate General in Boston, as listed on its page in this directory:
- Address: 100 High Street, 6th floor, Boston, MA 02110, United States
- Telephone: +1 617-973-9772
- Opening hours: Monday to Friday 09:00–12:15 and 13:15–16:00
- Website: www.boston.us.emb-japan.go.jp/itprtop_en/index.html
What can an honorary consul do?
An honorary consul is not a career diplomat but a local resident – often a business person or lawyer – appointed by Japan and approved by the host country. Depending on the powers granted, the honorary consul can help Japanese citizens in an emergency (lost passport, accident, arrest), pass on applications and documents to the embassy, and certify signatures or life certificates. Passports and visas are not issued by an honorary consulate; they remain the responsibility of the embassy or a career consulate.
Closing days
Honorary consuls set their own office hours; the honorary consulate is usually closed on US federal holidays, whose dates are published by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, and may also close on public holidays of Japan.
Emergency assistance
In an emergency, Japanese citizens in the consular district can call the honorary consul on +1 401-639-1616 or contact the Consulate General of Japan in Boston. In the United States, dial 911 for an ambulance, the fire service or the police (GOV.UK travel advice). US citizens who need consular help in Japan can contact the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo.
Diplomatic missions of Japan in the United States
Japan in the United States
Measured in a straight line from Bristol, the nearest other Japanese office is the Consulate General (Massachusetts) in Boston (about 78 km). Distances in brackets are straight-line distances from Bristol.
- Washington, D.C. (580 km) – Embassy of Japan in the United States
- Anchorage – Consulate (Alaska)
- Atlanta (1,450 km) – Consulate General (Georgia)
- Boston (78 km) – Consulate General (Massachusetts)
- Chicago (1,350 km) – Consulate General (Illinois)
- Denver – Consulate General (Colorado)
- Detroit (980 km) – Consulate General (Michigan)
- Honolulu – Consulate General (Hawaii)
- Houston – Consulate General (Texas)
- Los Angeles – Consulate General (California)
- Miami (1,950 km) – Consulate General (Florida)
- Nashville (1,470 km) – Consulate General (Tennessee)
- New York (250 km) – Consulate General (New York)
- Portland (240 km) – Consulate (Oregon)
- San Francisco – Consulate General (California)
- Seattle – Consulate General (Washington)
- Bristol – Honorary Consulate (this page)
- Simsbury (130 km) – Honorary Consulate (Connecticut)
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Details checked on 22 October 2026. Sources: Consulate-General of Japan in Boston – Honorary Consuls (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan) (accessed 22 October 2026), U.S. Office of Personnel Management – Federal Holidays, GOV.UK foreign travel advice: USA (getting help).
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