Hawai‘i joins Ehime Prefecture in celebrating 20-year sister-state relationship
Gov. Josh Green and Ehime Prefecture Gov. Tokihiro Nakamura reaffirmed Friday the sister-state agreement that followed in the wake of the Feb. 9, 2001, tragedy when nine crew members lost their lives in a collision between the Ehime Maru and the USS Greeneville in Hawaiʻi waters.
“The Sister-State reaffirmation signing formalized the furthering of relationships between the State of Hawai‘i and Ehime Prefecture in the areas of commerce, education, sports and cultural exchanges,” Green said.
More than 30 government, business and community representatives from Ehime Prefecture traveled to Honolulu from Matsuyama City, Ehime, to participate in various activities to commemorate Hawai‘i’s 20th Anniversary Sister-State Relationship with Ehime Prefecture. The celebrations were supposed to take place last year but were postponed because of the Maui wildfires in August.
The Ehime Maru tragedy in 2001 led to the sister-state relationship two years later. Since then, Hawai‘i and Ehime have bonded and continued to pursue acts of goodwill and friendship. These include:
- Identical memorials that stand in Kakaʻako Waterfront Park and Uwajima City, Ehime Prefecture.
- The Ehime-Hawai‘i Goodwill Baseball Tournament between youth teams of Ehime and Hawai‘i since 2002. This year, the tournament will take place in Ehime and youth baseball players and their families from Hawai‘i will participate in activities with their counterparts there.
- Numerous educational exchanges have taken place with middle, high school and university students between Hawai‘i and Ehime.
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