The Herald Salutes

The Hawaii United Okinawa Association recognized 45 “Uchinanchu of the Year” at its annual ”Uchinanchu of the Year”/installation banquet at the Hawaii Okinawa Center on Jan. 20. The 2017 “Uchinanchu of the Year” were honored for their service to their respective club, the HUOA and the larger community. The honorees were:

Gov. David Ige has appointed Leonard Hoshijo as director of the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, which oversees the workforce development, unemployment insurance, workers compensation, and occupational safety and health divisions. Hoshijo had been DLIR’s deputy director since 2015 and acting director since December 2017. He succeeds Linda Chu Takayama, who was appointed interim....

Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce president Wayne Toshimi Ishihara was conferred an imperial decoration from the Government of Japan. With Ishihara’s wife Joy and their two adult children, Trevor and Jaci, and other family and friends looking on, Consul General of Japan Yasushi Misawa pinned The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays,....

McKinley Car Wash owner Yukio Yoshikawa was recently honored in the state House of Representatives for his contributions to O‘ahu’s small business community. The 92-year-old Yoshikawa started his car washing business in 1964 with eight employees and now has over 70 workers of various ethnic and racial backgrounds with family roots in Samoa, Micronesia, Vietnam....

Mariko Miho was recently named vice president of advancement for PBS Hawai‘i. In this key fundraising position, Miho will be responsible for building a blended-gifts program and coordinating a multimedia giving campaign for the statewide not-for-profit public television station. Prior to accepting the PBS Hawai‘i position, Miho served for more than 20 years as a....

Central Pacific Bank announced the promotions of Scott Kurosawa to senior vice president and senior strategic account executive, and Lance Ori- bio to vice president and senior manager – HELOC. Kurosawa had been vice president and senior strategic account executive. In his new position, he will be responsible for managing and growing a team portfolio....

Dr. Dennis Masaaki Ogawa, Ph.D., was recently conferred The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon by Consul General of Japan Yasushi Misawa, for his “contributions to the development of Japanese...

ED HAWKINS RECEIVES IMPERIAL DECORATION Edwin P. Hawkins Jr., who retired recently as president of the Japan-America Society of Hawaii, the Crown Prince Akihito Scholarship Foundation and the Ehime Maru Memorial Association, received the Order...

Consul General of Japan Toyoei Shigeeda recognized University of Hawai‘i at Mänoa American Studies Professor Dr. Dennis Ogawa with a special commendation in a ceremony at the Consul General’s residence on April 23. The...

Kristi Hirota-Schmidt, CMCA(R), AMS(R), has recently been named president of the West Oahu Economic Development Association (WOEDA). Hirota-Schmidt is senior vice president of business development of Associa Hawaii, an association management company. WOEDA is a...