Mayor Rick Blangiardi to travel to Japan, strengthen ties
Mayor Rick Blangiardi to travel to Japan, strengthen ties

Mayor Rick Blangiardi to travel to Japan, strengthen ties

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Mayor Rick Blangiardi to travel to Japan, strengthen ties

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi makes his first official foreign visit in two weeks. The visit coincides with an important anniversary. It was 80 years ago when the Enola Gay flew over Hiroshima with its cataclysmic payload. The mayor will meet with Mayor Kazumi Matsui and visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial for commemoration ceremonies. It also coincides with the performance run of “Peace on your Wings’ by Ohana Arts Theatre.

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HONOULU (KHON2) — The strong ties between Japan and Hawaiʻi will be reaffirmed when Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi makes his first official foreign visit in two weeks.

The busy commercial center, Shibuya, is the newest sister city of Honolulu. Hiroshima, on the opposite coast, is the oldest.

Blangiardi will visit both on an official visit that will coincide with an important anniversary — it was 80 years ago when the Enola Gay flew over Hiroshima with its cataclysmic payload.

“You think about what that meant, dropping the atomic bomb and the devastation, it wasn’t insignificant in the history of the world so I’m honored to represent Honolulu in this circumstance,” the mayor said.

While there, Blangiardi will meet with Mayor Kazumi Matsui and visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial for commemoration ceremonies. The visit also coincides with the performance run of “Peace on your Wings” by Ohana Arts Theatre.

The all-youth production tells the story of 12-year-old Sadako Suzuki, who folded more than a thousand paper cranes before succumbing to radiation-related leukemia. The show just completed a run at the Kennedy Theatre.

“I was really inspired by those kids. I thought, ‘wow this is a wonderful way to put them in touch with something multi-generations away from who they are,’” Blangiardi said. “The production was so well done, the kids were so into it and I’m pleased the city and county was able to sponsor them to appear in Hiroshima.”

Organizers hope the production and the mayor’s visit will showcase Hawaiʻi’s youth talent and the city’s openness to cement cultural ties across the Pacific.

Source: Khon2.com | View original article

Source: https://www.khon2.com/local-news/mayor-rick-blangiardi-to-travel-to-japan-strengthen-ties/

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