HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022 Sister City ReportA N N U A L
R E P O R T
J ULY 2021 - JUNE 2 0 22
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Oshima . Shibukawa
Nago . Kumejima
Yurihama . Sumoto
Japan
WWW.H AW AIIC O U NT Y.GOV
25 A U PUN I ST., HIL O , HI 96 720
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ANNUAL REPORT 2021
C O N N E CT I N G H A W A I 'I I S L A N D T O T H E W O R L D
Promote friendship, goodwill, and understanding between global communities
by providing opportunities for the residents of Hawai'i Island and our sister
cities to experience different cultures through education, and social and
economic interaction.
O U R M I S S I O N
Provide opportunities for local government, business leaders, and the wider
community to experience and explore other cultures through long-term
community partnerships.
Promote and develop economic, trade, cultural, educational, technical, social,
and other beneficial exchanges.
Foster international understanding and the exchange of information.
O U R O B J E C T I V E S
The U.S. Sister City Program formally began in 1956 when President Dwight D.
Eisenhower proposed a people-to-people citizen diplomacy initiative. It was
originally a program of the National League of Cities, and Sister Cities International
became a separate corporation in 1967 due to the growth and popularity of the
U.S. program.
H I S T O R Y
COUNTY OF HAWAI'I SISTER CITIES
ANNUAL REPORT 2022
A W H O L E N E W W O R L D
S I S T E R C I T Y V I R TU A L C O N C E R T
COUNTY OF HAWAI'I SISTER CITIES
Hawai ʻi County’s first -ever Sister City Virt ual Concert t he med
“A Whole New Wor ld,” premiere d on July 30, 202 1, on Nā Leo
TV. The concert showcased may oral mes sages and cul tural
performan ces from e ight sist er cit ie s across the globe.
Rep res ented in the conc ert were fi ve cities i n Japan, t wo in the
Philip pines, and o ne from Chile. In additio n to the individ ual
cu ltural perfor mances, th ere was join t hula to the song “Sending
Aloha,” wri tte n and composed by Hil o
mus ici an/songwrit er/edu cator Brandon Nakano , p erf ormed by
each re sp ect ive c ity.
Thi s concert was c reat ed to rem ind us of our con ne ct ion s across the world, as we con tinue t o figh t
through a pan dem ic tha t h as left m any of u s feel ing d isc onnec ted and alone,” s aid Mayor M it ch Roth .
“Our Sister City relationships have always been integral to our identity, diversit y, and vibrancy here on
Hawaiʻi Island, and we are excited to showcase the m in a new and e xciting way for all to see, fee l, and b e
inspire d.”
The full video of the con cert ca n be viewe d on the County's sister city webpage at
www.hawaiico unty.gov/s istercities
ANNUAL REPORT 2022
A N N I V E R S A R Y C EL E B R A T I O N A N D
R E A F F I R M A T I O N O F A G R E E M E N T B E T W E E N
H A W A I 'C O U N T Y A N D O R M O C C I T Y
COUNTY OF HAWAI'I SISTER CITIES
Hawai'i County Mayor Mitch Roth signing the agreement
Ormoc City Mayor Richard Gomez signing the agreement
Congresswoman Lucy Torres-Gomez , also the wife of
Mayor Gomez gave a brief remark
Mayor Gomez, Vice Mayor Locsin and members
of the Ormoc City Council
Vice Consul Andrea Caymon Kauhanen gave the opening remarks
on behalf of the Philippine Consulate General in Honolulu
September 11, 2021, marked the 10th anniversary of the sister city
relationship between the County of Hawai'i and Ormoc City,
Philippines.
Mayor Mitch Roth and Ormoc City Mayor Richard Gomez
commemorated the occasion by signing a Reaffirmation of the
Sister City Agreement on October 20, 2021.
The virtual event was attended by government officials and other
dignitaries and guests from both municipalities.
Video of the virtual event can be found on the sister city webpage at
www.hawaiicounty.gov/sistercities
Konawaena HS Japanese Class students presented
and read the description of Hawai'i County's omiyage
to Kumejima in Japanese.
Kumejima HS student presented and read the
description of Kumejima's omiyage to Hawai'i County
in English.
Kumejima mayor Haruo Ota giving his remarks before
signing the agreement.
Mayor Mitch Roth signing the Reaffirmation Agreement.
Event attendees: Dwayne Mukai, Lee Lord, Vice Consul
Matsuzawa, Mayor Roth, Candee Ellsworth, Jane
Clement, Tommy Goya, Art Taniguchi and Ross Birch.
Mayor Roth and Sister City Protocol Officer Jane Clement
waived aloha to the people gathered in Kumejima during the
virtual signing event.
ANNUAL REPORT 2022COUNTY OF HAWAI'I SISTER CITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y C EL E B R A T I O N A N D
R E A F F I R M A T I O N O F A G R E E M E N T B E T W E E N
H A W AI 'C O U N T Y A N D K U M E J I M A T O W N
M ayo r Mitch Rot h and
Kumejima Town May or
Haruo Ota commemor at ed
the 10th anniversary of
sisterhood bet ween their
two mun ici palit ie s through a
virtual sign ing of the
Reaffirmation Agreement on
Octo ber 27 , 2021.
The eve nt was attended by
government officials, h ost
organization me mb ers, and
other dignitar ie s from b oth
sides.
A full video of the event can be
viewed on the sister city
webpage at:
www.hawaiicounty.gov/sistercities
ANNUAL REPORT 2022COUNTY OF HAWAI'I SISTER CITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y C EL E B R A T I O N A N D
R E A F F I R M A T I O N O F A G R E E M E N T B E T W E E N
H A W A I 'C O U N T Y A N D Y U R I H A M A C I T Y
Mayor Mitch Ro th and Mayor
Misamichi Miy awaki pledged t o
c ontinue to pro mo te and expand
ef fective and m utual ly beneficial
c ooperati on bet ween the people
of their two cities dur ing a virtu al
signing of Reaffirmatio n
Agreement on Decem be r 3, 202 1.
"It is an h onor to be a part of t hi s
Reaffirmation Cer emony. In our
cu lt ure, there is a saying that goes,
“The whole is lar ger than the sum of
its parts.” What this mean s is
together we are stro nger, and w e
can acc om plish so much more than
we can in dividu ally."
L incoln A shida
Presid en t, Japanes e Ch amber of
Co mme rce and Industri es of
H awai'i.
"On th is 25t h anniver s ary, my w ish
is t hat new o pportunities for
economic exchange between Hawai’i
County and Yuri hama will continu e
to emerge, i n addition to the
cu lt ural a nd ed uca ti onal exchang e
we have had up until th is po int.
M itsuak i Kawaguch i
Pr esident, Yuri hama Chamber of
C om merce and Ind ustr y
ANNUAL REPORT 2022COUNTY OF HAWAI'I SISTER CITIES
A N N I V E R S A R Y C EL E B R A T I O N A N D
R E A F F I R M A T I O N O F A G R E E M E N T B E T W E E N
H A W A I 'C O U N T Y A N D S H I B U K A W A C I T Y
Shibukaw a Cit y and Hawai 'i County r esidents have
continually endeavored to d eepen their mutual
un derstand ing and friend ly relations th rough a ctive
exc hange over the pa st 25 year s.
M ayor Mitch Roth and Shibuka wa Ci ty Mayor Tsuto mo
Takagi commemorate d th e 25th ann iversar y of sister hoo d
betwee n their two municipalities b y pledging to continue
to propagate feelings of goodwill durin g a signing of the
Reaffirma tion Agr eem en t on F eb ruary 17, 2022 .
The hybrid virtua l and in -person e vent was at tended by
government of ficials, members of the Japanese
Community Ass ociation o f Hawai'i, Shibukaw a City B oard
of Educ at ion an d Shibukawa Ik aho Onsen Touri sm
Association, a nd o ther dignitar ie s and guests.
A f ull video o f the eve nt can be v ie wed on the Sist er Ci ty
webpage a t www.h aw aiicount y.gov/sisterc ities
Mayor Mitch Roth delivered his remarks before signing the agreement.
Mayor Tsutomo Takagi reaffirming Shibukawa City's commitment to the
sister city relationship during his remarks.
County officials, members of the Japanese Community Association of Hawaii and other
special guests attended the hybrid virtual and in-person sighing event between Hawai'i
County and Shibukawa City.
City Officials, members of the Shibukawa City Board of Education and Shibukawa Ikaho Onsen Tourism Association
waving goodbye at the end of the event.
On D e cem ber 2, 202 2, M a yor Ro th a nd s ister c ity p roto co l officer Jane Cle ment paid a
c ou rtesy v isit t o Consul General E milio He rn a nd e z. He is t he ne wes t diploma t assigne d to
Haw a i i an d w i ll s e rve as the Consul G e neral of the Ph i lipp ine Con sulat e General in H onolul u
fo r the next t hree years. Mayor Roth a nd Ms. Clement provide d h i m with infor mation ab ou t
t he County's tw o s i ster cities in th e Ph ilippines .
Ma y or R ot h and Ms. Cle ment also met w i th Consul Gener a l Isabela Silk of the Consulate
G eneral of the Repub lic of th e M a rshall Islan ds in Hono lulu t o begin d i scu ssions abou t a
p ossible s i ster city r e l a tio nsh i p with Enew etak Atoll and o th e r A tol l s in t he Mar shall
Islands. The majo rity o f the Ma rs hallese po pul ation living in Ocea n Vie w is fro m Ene wetak.
Th e d a y concluded with a v i sit to t he C ons ulate Ge neral of J apan in Honolulu. M ayor R oth
an d Ms. C lement met wi th Consul G eneral A oki, Vi ce Con s ul Kum a k ura, and V i ce Con sul
Ma tsu zaw a to p rovide a st atus up date on Haw ai 'i Cou nty's sister cit i e s in Jap an.
ANNUAL REPORT 2022
C O U R T E S Y V IS I T S TO P H I L I P P I N E , J A P A N
A N D R M I C O N S U L A T E
COUNTY OF HAWAI'I SISTER CITIES
Vice Consul Tamera Heine, Consul General
Isabela Silk, Mayor Roth, Jane Clement
Vice Consul Grace Bulos, Consul General
Emilio Hernandez, Mayor Roth, Jane Clement
Vice Consul Aya Kumakura, Consul General
Aoki, Mayor Roth, Jane Clement,
Vice Consul Matsuzawa
Mayor Mitc h Roth join e d Sister Cit y Cabugao
C i ty, Ilocos S ur , to comm e mora te S akad a D ay
on December 22, 2021, recog nizin g and
ho noring t he pio neer i ng a chievemen ts and
co ur age of t he first Filipin o sakadas an d their
co ntribu tion s to t he histo ry and develop ment
of Hawaiʻi Island.
T he Sakad as or Filip i no plan ta tion worker s
w e re f i rst b ro ug ht to H awaiʻi i n 1906 to work
on t he plantati ons, an d the "Fir s t Fifteen ," as
th e y were la ter coined, bega n their wo rk o n
Hawa i ʻi I s l an d at the Olaʻa Plantation in the
K e aʻau area.
ANNUAL REPO2T 2022
S A K A D A D A Y C O M M E M O R A T I O N
C O U N T Y O F H A W A I 'I A N D C A B U G A O C I T Y
COUNTY OF HAWAI'I SISTER CITIES
Gover nor David Ige s i g ned H ouse B i l l 60 4
on Apr i l 9, 20 15, design at i ng Decem ber
20 of ev e ry ye ar as "Sakada Day." T his
year's celebra tion was delayed a few d ays
to coor dinate c ommem or at ion b e tween
the Co unt y a nd Cabug ao City.
A full video of th e lei-d rapin g and wreat h-
l ayin g ce rem ony can be v i ewed on th e
s i s ter c ity web pag e at
www .hawa i i cou nty.gov /sisterciti es
Council member and former mayor Josh Cobangbang laid a
wreath at the Sakada statue at Salomague Port, Cabugao
Mayor Mitch Roth draped a lei on the Sakada Statue in Kea'au
ANNUAL REPORT 2022
C O U N T Y O F H A W A I 'I O S H I M A T O W N
COUNTY OF HAWAI'I SISTER CITIES
The offi cial establish ment of the re latio nship between the two
cities was signed on February 16 , 1962, by then Chairman and
Exec utive Off icer of the Cou nty of H aw aiʻi, Thomas “Lofty” Cook
in Oshima, Japan.
To celebrate this impo rt ant m ilest one, Hawaiʻi County and Oshima
Town compiled inte rvi ews of f ormer and current g overn ment
of ficials, organizations, and other individ uals to g le an stories and
anecdot es abo ut this h ist oric Sister City relationship. T he
accounts w ere c om piled i nto a commemorative d ocu mentary film
prod uced by Nā L eo TV (NL T V).
The commem ora tive documentary can b e vie wed on the siste r ci ty
we bpage at www.hawai ico unty.gov/s istercities
Hawaiʻi Cou nty celebrate d its eldes t Sister Cit y relationshi p wi th
O shim a Town, Japan o n Fe bruary 11 , 2022 , via a virt ual film eve nt
that included dignified representatives from bo th ci ties.
Members of the Hawai'i Oshima Friendship
Association held an exhibit in Oshima to
commemorate 60th anniversary of sisterhood.
Na Leo TV production crew during the filming of the
documentary film.
Members of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and
Industries of Hawai'i and sister city protocol officer
Jane Clement after filming interviews for the
documentary. .
Hawai'i County Board of Supervisors Chairman
Thomas "Lofty" Cook and Mayor Toyonosuke Fujii
shook hands after signing the sister city agreement
between their two cities on February 16, 1962.
Members of the Hilo High School Chorus
traveled to Japan in June of 1996 and
visited Oshima Island.
ANNUAL REPORT 2022
Y O U N G A R T I S T S A N D A U T H O R S S H O W C A S E
(Y A A S)
COUNTY OF HAWAI'I SISTER CITIES
The Young A rtists an d Aut h ors Showc ase (YA AS) is an a n nual art contest that encourages
you th worldwide to ex p ress t he mission of Sis ter Cities In terna ti onal t h rough or i ginal
artwork , literature , poetry, phot o graphy, and mus i c.
This ye ar's t h eme is GENE RATI O N RESCUE: SU STAINABLE WATER F O R AL L
Artist: Rapha Shvartsman
Grade: 10th Grade
School: Homeschool
Artist: Morgan Pierpont
Grade: 12th Grade
School: Ka'u High School
Artist: Alejo Xenophone
Grade: 10th Grade
School: Pahoa High School
This is Hawai'i Co un ty's first year o f
p art i cip a tion. Invit a tio ns we re sen t
o ut to all the pu blic high schoo ls on
Ha w ai i Islan d. A t ot al of 25
su bm i ssions we re recei v e d a nd five
were se l e ct e d a s Haw ai i Co unty's
o f f i cial e nt ries to t he YA A S .
Winner s w i ll be a nnounced in August
d uring the S i ster Citi e s I ntern a tio nal
Annual Youth Su mm i t.
Artist: Shantacley Arhelger
Grade: 11th Grade
School: Pahoa High School
Artist: Dayshalyn Keohuloa
Grade: 11th Grade
School: Pahoa High School
ANNUAL REPORT 2022
S I S T E R C I T Y D I S P L A Y C A S E A T K O A
COUNTY OF HAWAI'I SISTER CITIES
T he C ou nt y o f Haw a i 'i in p a rtnership
w i th the State Department of
T ranspor tation will be installin g a
sist er c i ty display ca se i nside Gate 1 1
a t the E lliso n O niz uka K ona
Intern a tio nal Ai rport at Ke ahol e .
T he C ou nt y will have full resp on s ibili ty
for th e maintenance of t he dis play case
once it is install e d.
T he dis play case w ill be built b y o ur
C ou nt y carpenters. This fr e e-standing
cab inet will be 8ft in length , 6 ½ ft in
height, a nd 1 ½ ft in dep th. The c a bin et
w i ll be m ade mostly o f wood wi th
plexiglas s o n the fr on t and side s .
It wi l l co ntai n a n in f ormat ion a l bo ard
a bo ut o ur si s ter cit i e s as well a s s e lect
memorabi l ia that the Co unty has
r e ceived fr om the si s ter cities o v er the
year s .
ANNUAL REPORT 2022
S E N D I N G A L OH A A N D B E S T W I S H E S
T O T H E N E W L Y E L E C T E D M A Y O R S
COUNTY OF HAWAI'I SISTER CITIES
The Philippines and select c ities in J apa n rec en tly held an election. As a resu lt, ou r s ister cit ie s
in Ormoc City and Ca bugao City, Philippi ne s, and sister cities in Kumejima Town and Sumoto
Cit y, Jap an now h ave a n ew may or to lead their respectiv e municipalities. Mayor Ro th sent
co ngr at ulato ry l ett ers to all of t hem and wished them a successful tenur e.
Mayor Lucy Torres-Gomez
Ormoc City, Philippines
Mayor Hideo Tobaru
Kumejima Town, Okinawa
Mayor Josh Edward Cobangbang
Cabugao City, Philippines
Katsunori Uesaki
Sumoto City, Japan
ANNUAL REPORT 2022
S T U D E N T E XC H A N G E P R O G R A M
COUNTY OF HAWAI'I SISTER CITIES
They talk a bou t similarit ie s and differ en ces in each
other 's cultures, tra ditions, and practice s wh ile
spea ki ng alternately betwe en t he ir native language
and the for ei gn language they are trying to le arn .
D esigned for mi ddl e and high sch ool st udents, th e
p rog ram a ims to pr ovide participan ts with
opportunities to learn a new language, ma ke new
fr ie nds a broad, and engage in cultu ral excha nge.
T he first t w o sc hool s to partn er a nd s ubs c ri be
to this progr am a re Konawea na Hig h Sc hool i n
West H aw aii a nd Kumej im a H igh Sch ool in
Japan. 14 stu den ts from b oth sch ools h ave met
every mon t h since Januar y 2022. S taff from
both sc hool s are p resent a t ea c h se ssi on to
facili t ate the disc ussions.
Our siste r cities in La S erena, Ch ile a nd the
Ph ilip pines h ave expre ss ed inte rest in the
pr og ram an d we are wo rking on ge tting them
on board before t he end of t he ye ar.
In Janua ry 2022, we introduced a new student
e xchange pr ogr am called V-PA L or Virtua l
Part ne rs in Acquisitio n of Langua ge. V-P AL is a
school-to-sch ool language exch ange p rog ram
betwee n Hawai 'i County a nd its sister cit y
schools in Japan, the Philippin es, and Chile.
The program is n on-aca de mi c and partic ipation
is voluntary. P articipa nts m eet once a mon th
and c hoo se a topic to discuss.
ANNUAL REPORT 2022
S T U D E N T E XC H A N G E P R O G R A M
R E V I E W
COUNTY OF HAWAI'I SISTER CITIES
l緊張してあまり話せなかったけど，ハワイの⾼校⽣と交流
ができて嬉しかった
I was so nervous that I could not talk so much. Happy to
interact with students from Hawaii.
たしかったです！ IT WAS FUN
Here's what the students
are saying about the program
楽しかったです！でも、⾃分の英語⼒が落ちてることを痛感しました
IT WAS FUN. BUT I FELT MY ENGLISH SKILLS ARE NOT AS GOOD AS USED TO BE.
I want to challenge my own writing/typing and reading
skills in Japanese. Particularly my kanji.
I want to challenge my Japanese listening comprehension. I really really want to
work on my Japanese and be able to speak more of it but I find it very difficult on
my own so I hope through this program I can grow a little more. I also get really
nervous when I have to speak Japanese out loud to other people so I hope to
improve and get less nervous
久⽶島⾼校の⽣徒は英語、コナワエナ⾼校の⽣徒は⽇本語で交流する！⽇常⽣
活を英語で説明できるようになる！！
Kumejima high students use English and Konawaena uses Japanese during the
activities. Hope to be able to use English in everyday life.
VERY FUN AND INTERESTING!
英語を使って⾃分の考えを⾔え
るようになりたい
I want to be able to express my
thoughts in English.
外国に友達を作る I want to make friends abroad.
Mayor Mitch Roth and the government of the Republic of
Marshall Islands through Consul General Isabela Silk of the
Consulate General of Marshall Islands in Honolulu are exploring
a Sister City Relationship Agreement between Hawai'i County and
Wotje, Enewetak, Namo, Ebon, Mejit, and Jaluit Islands of the
Republic of Marshall Islands.
A resolution to approve the creation of such a partnership is being
drafted and will be submitted to the County Council for
consideration after review by the Corporation Counsel.
ANNUAL REPORT 2022
F U T U R E A C T I V I T I E S A N D E V E N T S
COUNTY OF HAWAI'I SISTER CITIES
Mayor Mitch Roth and Sister City Protocol OfficerJane Clement will lead a delegation to Japan for asister city goodwill visit from July 22 to August 3,
2022.
The group will meet with the mayors, business andindustry leaders and other dignitaries in Sumoto City,
Oshima Town, and Shibukawa City.
A meeting with tourism industry leaders is alsoplanned in Tokyo.
For many years, our sister city in Nago City, Okinawa has been sending students from area schools to Hawai'i
Island as part of their homestay program. Now that we are finally emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic and
after a three-year hiatus, Nago City is resuming its student exchange program and will send 12 students to
Hawai'i Island in August 2022. Hawai'i County is working with the sponsoring organization Hui Okinawa to
find host families for the students and to make sure the group will have the best experience during their visit.
Hawai'i County - Marshall Islands Sister City Agreement
Sister City Goodwill Visit to Japan
Nago City Student Visit