"The Ties That Bind"

July 27–28, 2023 | Honolulu, Hawaii

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MAHALO for a successful Hawaii-Japan Sister State and Sister City Summit!

Thank you to our generous sponsors, members, and volunteers for making this event possible.

We look forward to seeing more growth between Hawaii and Japan relations!

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View PDF List of Participating Officials

Participating Japanese Government Officials

JOIN US IN HONOLULU

On July 27–28, 2023, hundreds of senior government officials and key business, cultural, educational, and civic leaders from Hawaii and Japan will attend the inaugural Hawaii-Japan Sister State & Sister City Summit: The Ties That Bind. Delegates will connect, strengthen relationships, and create new initiatives to boost trade, direct investment, collaboration, and goodwill between Hawaii and Japan.

The Sister Summit will take place in the Coral Ballroom at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort in world-famous Waikiki. Receive a special hotel room package upon booking for the Sister Summit.

Mahalo to Hawaiian Airlines, our Designated Airline for the Sister Summit

Hawaiian Airlines

JOIN THE OPENING CEREMONY

featuring a panel discussion on the

POWER OF SISTER RELATIONSHIPS

led by Paul Yonamine, Chairman Emeritus, Central Pacific Bank

including Hidehiko Yuzaki, Governor of Hiroshima

& Brian Taniguchi, Former Hawaii State Senator

View PDF Schedule of Events

PANEL SESSIONS & SPEAKERS

The Power of Sister Relationships Panelists

Nurturing Global Talent

Hawaii and Japan have much in common: from the “Aloha Spirit” and “Omotenashi,” to an abiding and deep respect for the environment. This relationship grows and strengthens through continued efforts to integrate Hawaii’s and Japan’s cultural and socio-economic perspectives, and in the process American and Japanese perspectives. Integration can best be achieved through education at various levels: intercultural understanding, dialogue of ideas, study abroad, student and faculty exchanges, bilateral collaborations, and other efforts to bridge cultures. This session will explore the importance of global learning and ways in which Hawaii and its sister prefectures are furthering and strengthening the Hawaii-Japan relationship through education.

Panel Bios

Moderator

Dr. Denise Konan, Dean, College of Social Sciences and Professor of Economics, University of Hawaii at Manoa

Speakers

Keith Hayashi, Superintendent, Hawaii State Department of Education
Suzanne Vares-Lum, President, East West Center

Keiko Ikeda Ph.D., Professor, Division of International Affairs, Kansai University

Expanding the Pipeline

Cross-border investments between Japan and Hawaii began over 150 years ago when 150 Japanese migrant workers arrived in Honolulu. With them came the steady, remarkable growth of Japanese businesses in Hawaii, the first of their kind to cater to the needs of contracted workers and their families, followed by the rise of enterprises servicing the increasing number of inbound Japanese tourists. Today, Hawaii’s “Japan-Friendly” market continues attracting Japanese investors seeking diversification and access to the U.S. economy, capital, and concepts. This session will explore how Japan and Hawaii can leverage the historical, culturally tied, and personal relationships born from over one-and-a-half centuries of mutual investment and benefit.

Cross-Border Commerce

Moderator

Mitsuru Claire Chino, Managing Executive Officer, ITOCHU Corporation

Speakers

Mark Fukunaga, Chairman & CEO, Servco Pacific, Inc.

Meli James, Co-Founder of Mana Up, President, Hawaii Venture Capital Association

Sadanobu Takemasu, President and CEO, Representative Director, Chairman of the Board, Lawson, Inc.

Haruyoshi Kinoshita, General Manager, Cross Border Trading Business Department, Rakuten Group, Inc.

Panel Bios

Sustainable Agriculture

Moderator

Ian Kitajima, President, Pacific International Center for High Technology Research (PICHTR)

Speakers

Denise Yamaguchi, Executive Director, Hawaii Agricultural Foundation

Murray Clay, President, Ulupono Initiative

Dr. Erimitsu Erie SUZUKI, Chief Researcher, Railway Technical Research Institute, Japan

Dr. Kazuhiro Chiba, President, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology

Powering to Sustainability

Renewable energy is essential for both Japan and Hawaii, as both are island communities surrounded by ocean and with limited natural resources. In becoming more independent for energy and other resources, regions will be better equipped to recover from natural disasters that impact access to outside suppliers. Advancements in renewable energy technologies will also impact the world on a global scale, combating the effects of climate change including warming oceans, rising sea levels, and erratic weather patterns. This session will explore a variety of renewable energy technologies, ideas for funding new and ongoing projects, and discuss avenues for collaboration between sister governments.

Panel Bios

Moderator

Mark Glick, Chief Energy Officer, State of Hawaii

Speakers

Dawn Lippert, CEO, Elemental Excelerator

Scott Seu, President & CEO, Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc.

Steve O’Rourke-CEO, JERA Americas, Inc.

Tetsu Yokoda, Representative Director, Executive Vice-President, Okinawa Electric

Pursuing Suitable Balance

Tourism contributes to the economy by bringing in visitor spending, generating tax revenue, and creating jobs. However, over-tourism can negatively impact the natural environment as well as the livelihood of the residents of the hosting community. For popular travel destinations like Hawaii, along with many of its sister prefectures and sister cities in Japan, it is essential that governments establish and enact long-term sustainability practices that balance environmental, socio-cultural, and economic aspects involving tourism. This session will share examples of areas facing over-tourism, examine post-pandemic era developments, and explore best practices for managing tourist sites and destinations for a sustainable future.

Panel Bios

Moderator

Michelle Kauhane, Senior VP of Grants & Investments, Hawaii Community Foundation

Speakers

Daniel Nahoopii, Chief Administrative Officer, Hawaii Tourism Authority

Kurt Matsumoto, President, Pulama Lanai

Junichi (Jack) Kumada, Chief Consultant, Global Tourism Agenda and Sustainability, JTB Tourism Research and Consulting Co.

Blaine Miyasato, Managing Director, State and Local Government Affairs, Hawaiian Airlines

Sponsorship

SPONSORSHIP

With the support of our generous sponsors, we are able to gather for the inaugural Hawaii-Japan Sister States/Sister Cities Summit in Honolulu, Hawaii. Please consider becoming a sponsor. Download our sponsorship packet for more information.

Diamond Sponsor

Download Sponsporship Packet

Emerald Sponsor

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Sapphire Sponsor

Pearl Sponsor

Network with exhibitors

View PDF List of Exhibitors

MARKETPLACE

The Sister Summit Marketplace will be open July 27–28 in the Coral Ballroom lounge featuring booths from Japan and Hawaii. Government and business entities will showcase their services and products, exchange ideas and information, and promote new ways to develop and maintain robust sister relationships.

Reserve an exhibitor booth

View Exhibitor Guidelines PDF

HONORARY CHAIRS

Governor Josh Green

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi

Hawaii Mayor Mitch Roth

Maui Mayor Richard Bissen

Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami

Consul General of Japan in Honolulu Yutaka Aoki

名誉委員長

ジョシュ・グリーン/ハワイ州知事

リック・ブランジャルディ/ホノルル市長

ミッチ・ロス/ハワイ郡長

リチャード・ビッセン/マウイ郡長

デリック・カワカミ/カウアイ郡長

青木豊在ホノルル日本国総領事

CONVENER

Japan-America Society of Hawaii

議長団体

ハワイ日米協会

PRESENTING SPONSOR

State of Hawaii

Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism

プレゼンティング・スポンサー

ハワイ州

産業経済開発観光局

(DBEDT)

PARTNERS

Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii

Hawaii United Okinawa Association

Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce

Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii

United Japanese Society of Hawaii

U.S.-Japan Council

協力団体

ハワイ商工会議所

ハワイ沖縄連合会 (HUOA)

ホノルル日本人商工会議所 (HJCC)

ハワイ日本文化センター (JCCH)

ハワイ日系人連合協会 (UJSH)

米日カウンシル (USJC)

CO-CHAIRS

Reyna Kaneko

Sal Miwa

共同代表

レイナ・カネコ

三輪久雄

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About the Sister-State & Sister-City Programs

The State of Hawaii’s Sister-State Program and the counties’ Sister-City Programs play an integral role in facilitating goodwill, economic opportunities, cultural exchange, and friendships between Hawaii and foreign governments, non-governmental organizations and business entities. As we recover from the impacts of a two-year global pandemic, we seek to further a strong and vibrant sister relationship between Japan and Hawaii to better ensures that we maintain healthy and mutually beneficial partnerships.

For more information, contact:

Sheri Kajiwara

Sister Summit Coordinator, Japan-America Society of Hawaii

sherikajiwara@msn.com

Phone: (808) 265-1051

Sal Miwa (Japan Contact)

Co-Chair, Hawaii-Japan Sister State & Sister City Summit

sal.miwa@gmail.com

"The Ties That Bind"

JOIN US IN HONOLULU

JOIN THE OPENING CEREMONY

PANEL SESSIONS & SPEAKERS

Nurturing Global Talent

Expanding the Pipeline

Powering to Sustainability

Pursuing Suitable Balance

SPONSORSHIP

Diamond Sponsor

Emerald Sponsor

Sapphire Sponsor

Pearl Sponsor

Network with exhibitors

MARKETPLACE

Reserve an exhibitor booth

HONORARY CHAIRS

名誉委員長

CONVENER

議長団体

PRESENTING SPONSOR

プレゼンティング・スポンサー

PARTNERS

協力団体

CO-CHAIRS

共同代表

About the Sister-State & Sister-City Programs

For more information, contact:

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