HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	36
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

Establishing a Sister-State RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE STATE OF Hawaii, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND THE PREFECTURE OF Okayama, JAPAN.

 

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaii has had a multicultural population since the days of the Hawaiian monarchy in the 19th century and maintains a heritage of international participation and cultural sensitivity unparalleled in other states; and

 

     WHEREAS, since 1981, the Legislature has instituted sister‑state relationships as a means of asserting the State's active participation in international matters; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaii currently maintains nineteen sister-state relationships, including relationships with six of Japan's forty-seven prefectures; and

 

     WHEREAS, Okayama is a prefecture in Japan's Chugoku region on the Seto Inland Sea coast of Honshu Island; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaii and Okayama share long-standing historical, cultural, and people-to-people ties rooted in Japanese immigration to Hawaii and ongoing cultural exchanges; and

 

     WHEREAS, these ties were formally organized as early as 1927 with the establishment of the Hawaii Okayama Kenjinkai, an organization that continues to foster friendship and heritage to this day; and

 

     WHEREAS, Japan remains one of Hawaii's most important international partners in tourism, trade, education, and cultural exchanges, and Okayama Prefecture is widely recognized for its leadership in high-quality agriculture, manufacturing, education, and sustainability; and

 

     WHEREAS, Okayama is known as the "Land of Sunshine," or Hare no Kuni, due to its mild climate and low rainfall, a distinction that has allowed it to become a premier agricultural region renowned for white peaches, muscat grapes, and high‑quality rice; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaii and the people of Okayama share a unique historical bond dating back to 1868 with the arrival of the Gannenmono, the first group of Japanese immigrants to Hawaii, which included Sentaro Ishii, a samurai from Okayama who settled on the island of Maui and became a prominent centenarian and community leader; and

 

     WHEREAS, grassroots relationships have flourished for decades, including the sister-chapter relationship established in 1985 between the Honolulu Japanese Junior Chamber of Commerce and the Kurashiki, Kojima, and Tamashima Junior Chamber International chapters in Okayama; and

 

     WHEREAS, Okayama Prefecture has demonstrated a strong commitment to direct exchange, having successfully operated fifty-two charter flights carrying more than twelve thousand passengers between Okayama Airport and Honolulu from 1991 to 2018; and

 

     WHEREAS, both jurisdictions share common priorities, including sustainable tourism, workforce development, food security, clean energy, climate resilience, and the preservation of cultural heritage; and

 

     WHEREAS, educational exchanges have already flourished at the university level between Okayama University and the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and both regions express a strong desire to expand these opportunities to the high school level; and

 

     WHEREAS, pursuant to section 229-3, Hawaii Revised Statutes, the Hawaii Sister-State and International Partnerships Commission is tasked with evaluating and developing recommendations for the initiation of all sister-state relationships, and forwarding its recommendations to the Legislature for the Legislature to implement, if it so chooses, by either adopting a concurrent resolution or by enacting session law to that effect; and

 

     WHEREAS, a relationship between Hawaii and Okayama will strengthen institutional collaboration, economic opportunity, and cultural exchanges for the benefit of residents, businesses, students, and communities in both regions; and

 

     WHEREAS, a relationship between Hawaii and Okayama is expected to expand economic and trade opportunities for local businesses; strengthen sustainable tourism; support workforce development; enhance food security and agricultural innovation; and deepen cultural understanding; and

 

     WHEREAS, the State of Hawaii is actively seeking to expand its international ties and has an abiding interest in developing goodwill, friendship, and economic relations between the people of Hawaii and the people of many nations; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Hawaii Sister-State and International Partnerships Commission has reviewed the Hawaii-Okayama sister‑state application and recommended that a sister-state relationship be established between Hawaii and Okayama; and

 

     WHEREAS, this body believes that a sister-state relationship between Hawaii and Okayama will be highly beneficial in expanding tourism, strengthening cultural bonds, and advancing common goals of international peace and cooperation; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2026, the Senate concurring, that a sister-state relationship between the State of Hawaii, United States of America, and the Prefecture of Okayama, Japan, is hereby established; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the United States Secretary of State; Ambassador of the Embassy of Japan in Washington, D.C.; Governor of the Prefecture of Okayama, Japan; Consul General of Japan in Hawaii; Governor of the State of Hawaii; Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; and Chairperson of the Hawaii Sister-State and International Partnerships Commission.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

 

 

 

Report Title: 

Hawaii Sister-State and International Partnerships Commission; Okayama Prefecture, Japan