EHIME MARU MEMORIAL CEREMONY - FEBRUARY 9, 2024
Wreaths and floral offerings decorate the Ehime Maru Memorial for the 23rd Memorial Ceremony.
On Friday, February 9, 2024, the Ehime Maru Memorial Association (EMMA) held the 23rd remembrance ceremony of the accident that claimed the lives of nine Japanese crew members, including four high school students on board the Uwajima Fisheries High School training ship Ehime Maru. The ceremony was held at the Ehime Maru Memorial site in Kaka‘ako Waterfront Park.
The ceremony was attended by representatives from the Consulate General of Japan in Honolulu and the State of Hawaii, City and County of Honolulu, bereaved family members and officials from Ehime and Uwajima, Uwajima Lions Club, Uwajima City Hospital and volunteer organizations attended the ceremony.
Consul General Yoshinori Kodama, Ehime Governor Tokihiro Nakamura, Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke, and Mayor Rick Blangiardi along with over 100 members of the community also attended the ceremony to pay tribute to the nine souls who were lost in the tragic accident 23 years ago.
The memorial ceremony includes a moment of silence to honor the precious lives that were lost. In addition, wreaths and flowers were presented by various government agencies, organizations, individuals and other attendees.
Governor Tokihiro Nakamura of Ehime Prefecture
Governor Tokihiro Nakamura of Ehime Prefecture was in attendance and expressed his sorrow and the importance of the U.S. Japan relations. A message from Mayor Fumiaki Okahara of Uwajima City was also read, and wreaths and lei were offered in memory of the nine who were lost in the tragedy on behalf of the bereaved family members and Ehime Prefecture/Uwajima City officials.
Lieutenant Governor Luke offers words of remembrance.
The ceremony was not only a reminder of the tragedy, but also the deep ties between two nations made stronger after the tragedy. “The tragedy of Ehime Maru is a sorrowful and important part of our history that we must not forget,” said Lieutenant Governor Luke. “Guided by patience, integrity, and aloha – the United States and Japan emerged from this tragedy by forging a stronger, more resilient bond,” Luke added.
Mayor Rick Blangiardi
(L-R) Tatsuyoshi Mizuguchi and Yoshiko Mizuguchi
In his message as the representative of the bereaved families, Mr. Tatsuyoshi Mizuguchi expressed heartfelt gratitude to community volunteers including students from Saint Louis School who have continued to take care of the memorial and keep the memory of the nine souls alive. “If he had lived, he would be 40 years old. I can't imagine what he would have looked like.”
JASH serves as the administrator of the Ehime Maru Memorial Association and works to preserve the memory of the lives lost in this tragic accident and to maintain the memorial in perpetuity.
