The Japanese Community Association of Hawaii invites the public to join in celebrating the Ireito Monument Silver Jubilee at 2 p.m. on Sunday at a memorial service at Alae Cemetery in Hilo.
The Japanese Community Association of Hawaii invites the public to join in celebrating the Ireito Monument Silver Jubilee at 2 p.m. on Sunday at a memorial service at Alae Cemetery in Hilo.
The observance will mark the the 75th anniversary of the Ireito, which is a monument to commemorate the deceased first-generation Japanese immigrants. It was erected and unveiled by the late state Sen. Sanji Abe in 1939.
“The majority of the Issei Japanese government-contracted sugar cane plantation workers led very harsh lives in Hawaii to support their second-generation children,” explained association President Hiroshi Suga.
“Senator Abe deeply appreciated the efforts of the many deceased immigrants from Japan who made Hawaii a better place for their descendants,” Suga said.