Hiroshima governor meets with Ige, visits state library

HONOLULU — Gov. David Ige and First Lady Dawn Amano-Ige welcomed the governor of Hiroshima, Japan, Hidehiko Yuzaki, and his delegation to the Hawaii State Library on Wednesday.

“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,” Dawn Ige said.

Gov. Yuzaki’s visit to Hawaii complimented the Iges’ visit to Hiroshima in August, where 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 Hawaii and Hiroshima Prefecture,” said Gov. Ige. “Our Sister State Library Agreement is one of the many ways we are building a strong future of collaboration and mutual understanding.”

State Librarian Stacey Aldrich and state Library Manager Baron Baroza led the two governors on a tour of the library, located next to the state Capitol and ‘Iolani Palace in downtown Honolulu.

They posed for photos in the Edna Allan Children’s Library, where the books exchanged between Hiroshima and Hawaii were on display.

The books given to Hiroshima by Dawn Ige include “Leilani Blessed and Grateful” by ‘Iolani School teachers Greg Bowman and Alan Suemori, illustrated by Jamie Tablason, and “Snow Angel, Sand Angel,” by author, poet and educator Lois-Ann Yamanaka, illustrated by Ashley Lukashevsky.

The Hawaii State Library also contains a collection of local high school yearbooks.

Aldrich showed the governors a Punahou yearbook with former President Barack Obama’s photo and a Pearl City yearbook with Gov. Ige’s photo.