Consulate Activities
2017/2/9
Ehime Maru 17th Memorial Ceremony & Reception
1. Ehime Maru 17th Memorial Ceremony (1:00pm - 2:30pm, Ehime Maru Memorial at Kaka’ako Waterfront Park)
On February 9, more than 200 people gathered to attend the annual memorial ceremony for the Ehime Maru, including Rep. Yoshio Mochizuki (former Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs at the time of the incident), Cllr. Toshiyuki Adachi, Consul General Yasushi Misawa, Gov. Tokihiro Nakamura of Ehime, Gov. Moriyuki Kato (former Governor of Ehime), Mayor Hirohisa Ishibashi of Uwajima, the bereaved family members, students from Uwajima Fishery High School, legislators from the Ehime Prefectural Assembly and other dignified guests from Japan, together with Gov. David Ige, members of the Ehime Maru Memorial Association, the local volunteers, and other respected members of the community in Hawaii.
Following opening remarks by Gov. Nakamura, Gov. Ige, and Mayor Ishibashi, students from Uwajima and Saint Louis High School offered nine bundles of 1000 paper cranes folded by many students in Uwajima in memory of the nine people who lost their lives, and a moment of silence was observed at 13:43 to commemorate the exact time of the incident.
Afterwards, representatives presented wreaths, Mr. Tatsuyoshi Mizuguchi gave a speech on behalf of the bereaved family members, and Mr. Jake Shimabukuro, who has been supporting the bereaved families and Uwajima Fishery High School since the beginning, provided a musical tribute on the ukulele.
2. 17th Memorial Reception (5:30pm - 8:00pm, Official Residence of the Consul General)
That evening, a memorial reception was held at the Consul General’s Official Residence welcoming over 250 guests, including Gov. Kato, Mayor Ishibashi, the bereaved family members, students from Uwajima Fishery High School, legislators from the Ehime Prefectural Assembly, legislators from Hawaii with connections to Ehime, local volunteers, and more.
Following speeches by Consul General Misawa, Rep. Mochizuki, and Gov. Kato, students from Uwajima Fishery High School gave a presentation on the current activities of the school and their life on the rebuilt Ehime Maru training ship. Rep. Mochizuki spoke on the various difficulties faced as the head of the delegation from Japan at the time of the incident, and expressed his gratitude for the dedicated support that they received from the local community and his hopes and expectations for future mutual exchange. To conclude the evening, Mr. Jake Shimabukuro played a song on the ukulele dedicated to the Japan-Hawaii relationship, and was met with a long round of applause.
16 years have passed, and by inviting the volunteers, indispensable supporters in the maintenance of the memorial monument, closer to the lives of the high school students who are currently studying and training aboard the Ehime Maru, this event has contributed greatly to revitalizing the motivation to continue these activities and continue respecting the memory of the deceased.
On February 9, more than 200 people gathered to attend the annual memorial ceremony for the Ehime Maru, including Rep. Yoshio Mochizuki (former Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs at the time of the incident), Cllr. Toshiyuki Adachi, Consul General Yasushi Misawa, Gov. Tokihiro Nakamura of Ehime, Gov. Moriyuki Kato (former Governor of Ehime), Mayor Hirohisa Ishibashi of Uwajima, the bereaved family members, students from Uwajima Fishery High School, legislators from the Ehime Prefectural Assembly and other dignified guests from Japan, together with Gov. David Ige, members of the Ehime Maru Memorial Association, the local volunteers, and other respected members of the community in Hawaii.
Following opening remarks by Gov. Nakamura, Gov. Ige, and Mayor Ishibashi, students from Uwajima and Saint Louis High School offered nine bundles of 1000 paper cranes folded by many students in Uwajima in memory of the nine people who lost their lives, and a moment of silence was observed at 13:43 to commemorate the exact time of the incident.
Afterwards, representatives presented wreaths, Mr. Tatsuyoshi Mizuguchi gave a speech on behalf of the bereaved family members, and Mr. Jake Shimabukuro, who has been supporting the bereaved families and Uwajima Fishery High School since the beginning, provided a musical tribute on the ukulele.
2. 17th Memorial Reception (5:30pm - 8:00pm, Official Residence of the Consul General)
That evening, a memorial reception was held at the Consul General’s Official Residence welcoming over 250 guests, including Gov. Kato, Mayor Ishibashi, the bereaved family members, students from Uwajima Fishery High School, legislators from the Ehime Prefectural Assembly, legislators from Hawaii with connections to Ehime, local volunteers, and more.
Following speeches by Consul General Misawa, Rep. Mochizuki, and Gov. Kato, students from Uwajima Fishery High School gave a presentation on the current activities of the school and their life on the rebuilt Ehime Maru training ship. Rep. Mochizuki spoke on the various difficulties faced as the head of the delegation from Japan at the time of the incident, and expressed his gratitude for the dedicated support that they received from the local community and his hopes and expectations for future mutual exchange. To conclude the evening, Mr. Jake Shimabukuro played a song on the ukulele dedicated to the Japan-Hawaii relationship, and was met with a long round of applause.
16 years have passed, and by inviting the volunteers, indispensable supporters in the maintenance of the memorial monument, closer to the lives of the high school students who are currently studying and training aboard the Ehime Maru, this event has contributed greatly to revitalizing the motivation to continue these activities and continue respecting the memory of the deceased.