Senator Hirono Attends Honouliuli National Monument Dedication

Senator Hirono joined Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, Governor David Ige, and other state and community leaders in a ceremony dedicating the Honouliuli National Monument, which now permanently protects an historic site where Japanese American citizens, resident immigrants, and prisoners of war were held captive during World War II.

National Parks Service Landscape Architect Anna Tamura, Senator Hirono and Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell survey sections of the Honouliuli National Monument

“The stories of the more than 1,000 innocent Hawaii civilians detained at Honouliuli during World War II cannot be forgotten, and as a national monument, the Honouliuli Internment Site will be an ever-present memorial of an important but often forgotten part of our nation’s history,” said Senator Hirono. “Preserving the site has long been a priority for our Hawaii delegation -- from Senators Inouye and Akaka to our current delegation—but our work is not yet done. My hope is that Honouliuli will be preserved in a way that visitors will get a sense of what this dark period of our country’s history was like and acknowledge that it should never be repeated. I want to thank Secretary Jewell for her participation in today’s dedication. Over the coming weeks and months, I will continue to work closely with the administration, state and local leaders as well as my delegation colleagues to ensure necessary federal resources are delivered for this important project.”

Senator Hirono joins University of Hawaii President David Lassner, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, and Governor David Ige in dedicating the Honouliuli National Monument

President Obama designated the Honouliuli Internment Camp site as a national monument in February following years of hard work and collaborative efforts by public and private community partners, including the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii and Honolulu Japanese American Citizens League.