Visit from a sister state

Senator Brian T. Taniguchi yesterday hosted and recognized eleven members of the Hiroshima Prefectural Assembly at the State Capitol. President Toshihiro Hiyama of the Hiroshima Prefectural Assembly and his fellow members are in Honolulu this week to promote their sister-state relationship with the State of Hawai`i.

Nearly twelve years ago, on May 30, 1997, a sister-state relationship was formed to promote friendship, cultural ties, and goodwill between our state and the Hiroshima Prefecture. Since then, leaders in the sister states have worked collaboratively to strengthen this bond through numerous cultural, educational and commercial exchanges.

Senator Taniguchi, whose paternal grandparents hail from Hiroshima, recalls spending one year following sixth grade living with his grandfather in a small town called Tanna. He applauded Mr. Hiyama and fellow members’ efforts to explore future exchanges and stated, “We are looking forward to meeting to discuss potential initiatives which we can jointly support.”