Fukuoka Welcomes the Families of Three Great Hawaiian Figures Associated with the Prefecture

 On October 25, the families of three great Hawaiian figures who had their roots in Fukuoka Prefecture and whose achievements will go down in the history of the U.S. (George Ariyoshi, a former Governor of Hawaii; the late Daniel Inouye, a U.S. senator; and the late Ellison Onizuka, an astronaut) visited Fukuoka Prefecture from Hawaii and met with Governor Seitaro Hattori of Fukuoka Prefecture and Speaker Kazuhisa Kiriake of the Fukuoka Prefectural Assembly.

 Referring to the three figures’ great achievements, the governor stated that the amicable relationship between Fukuoka Prefecture and the State of Hawaii is underpinned by people associated with Fukuoka Prefecture and the many supporters working to promote the relationship. In saying this, he expressed his determination to further consolidate the amicable relationship by exploring various paths for interaction, including academic exchange programs with the University of Hawaii.

(Front row from left) Shoji Akita, member of the Fukuoka Prefectural Assembly; Kazuyoshi Iwamoto, member of the Fukuoka Prefectural Assembly; Mr. Claude Onizuka; Kazuhisa Kiriake, Speaker of the Fukuoka Prefectural Assembly; Ms. Jean Ariyoshi; Seitaro Hattori, Governor of Fukuoka Prefecture; Mr. Ken Inoue; Kunihiro Matsumoto, member of the Fukuoka Prefectural Assembly; and Hiroshi Morishita, a member of the Fukuoka Prefectural Assembly
(Back row from left) Masashi Haranaka, member of the Fukuoka Prefectural Assembly; Iwami Haratake, member of the Fukuoka Prefectural Assembly; and other members of the delegation from Hawaii
*Masks were removed for photo taking purposes only.