Hawaiʻi governor David Ige and First Lady Dawn Amano-Ige welcomed Hidehiko Yuzaki; governor of Hiroshima, Japan; and his delegation to the Hawaiʻi State Library to continue their collaboration on important issues.
“Libraries can serve as a way for countries to connect through literature, the love of reading, and an exchange of ideas which brings our world closer together in a meaningful way,” First Lady Ige said in a recent release from the governor’s office.
Yuzaki’s visit to Hawaiʻi follows the Iges’ visit to Hiroshima in August, when the two governors signed a Sister State Library Agreement at the Hiroshima Prefectural Library.
“It was an honor to welcome Governor Yuzaki as we continue strengthening the bonds between the State of Hawaiʻi and Hiroshima Prefecture,” Ige said in the release. “Our Sister State Library Agreement is one of the many ways we are building a strong future of collaboration and mutual understanding.”
State of Hawaiʻi librarian Stacey Aldrich and Hawaiʻi State Library manager Baron Baroza led the two governors on a tour of the Hawaiʻi State Library in downtown Honolulu. The group took photos in the Edna Allan Children’s Library, where the books exchanged between Hiroshima and Hawaiʻi were on display.
The Hawaiʻi State Library also contains a collection of local high school yearbooks, including a Punahou yearbook containing former President Barack Obama’s photo and a Pearl City yearbook with Gov. Ige’s photo.