HONOLULU — Marking a new chapter in a nearly 140-year tale of two governments, the Hawaii State Legislature on Thursday entered into a sister-legislative relationship agreement with the Yamaguchi Prefectural Assembly of Japan.
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The formal signing ceremony at the state Capitol was the culmination of a two-year effort initiated by former state Sen. Brian Taniguchi’s 2021 Senate Concurrent Resolution 24
Senate President Ron Kouchi and House Speaker Scott Saiki signed the agreement on behalf of the Legislature, sealing a partnership that aims to develop “people-to-people” exchanges in the fields of business, education and culture
Last August, then-Gov. David Ige and a legislative delegation from Hawaii visited Yamaguchi and met with Yamaguchi Gov. Tsugumasa Muraoka and members of the Yamaguchi Prefectural Assembly
Representatives of both sides acknowledged a long-held connection that began with the immigration of 10,424 contract laborers — kanyaku imin — to Hawaii from Yamaguchi between 1885 to 1894
