Japanese（日本語）  

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On December 2^th, the Consulate General of Japan hosted a reception to celebrate His Majesty Emperor Akihito’s birthday and the 20^th anniversary of his enthronement.  Hawaii State Senate President Colleen Hanabusa, and Mr. Haward Hamamoto, Chairman of the Crown Prince Akihito Scholarship Foundation were the honorary guest speakers.  In addition, various political leaders, military personnel, Japanese American leaders, and representatives from various organizations attended the event.  

The program began with the national anthems and state song of U.S., Japan, and Hawaii sung by Ms. Cathy Foy Mahi and was followed by a speech by Consul General Kamo (English/Japanese).  In his speech, Consul General Kamo expressed his appreciation to the guests for gathering to celebrate His Majesty’s 76^th birthday.  He also spoke about how His majesty has been the symbol of Japanese people and has been trying to embody the core values of the people such as ‘peace’ and ‘democracy’ for the last 20 years since his enthronement.  

Following the Consul General’s speech, Senetor Hanabusa presented a congratulatory message on how she, fourth generation Japanese-American,  has been familiarizing her self with Japanese culture through ikebana and how former Governor Ariyoshi has been the mentor for younger Japanese-Americans such as herself.  A kanpai toast for health and happiness of His Majesty was offered by Mr. Hamamoto, who noted that it was the foundation’s honor to have Their Majesties Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko attend the banquet to commemorate Crown Prince Akihito Scholarship Foundation’s 50^th anniversary in July.

At the reception, DVDs which showed Their Majesties performing their official duties were played and many guests watched them with much interest.