Mahalo and Aloha  ʻOe to Hawaii Hochi Ltd.  

On Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, at the Consul General’s Official Residence, Hawaii Hochi, Ltd. was conferred the 2024 Foreign Minister’s Commendation.  

At the ceremony, Consul General Yoshinori Kodama delivered a congratulatory message and expressed his gratitude for Hawaii Hochi Ltd.’s long-standing contribution to promote mutual understanding between Japan and Hawaii, followed by the conferment ceremony. 

Taro Yoshida, president of Hawaii Hochi Ltd. delivered a speech, stating that the Hawaii Hochi has  published valuable articles on the social and economic changes affecting Japanese Americans,  helping to protect their rights and amplify their voice by sharing important stories with both the  local and global communities. He also noted that this recent award from the Minister for Foreign  Affairs serves as a reminder of the publication’s contributions to the Japanese community. 

President & Executive Director of the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii, Nate Gyotoku,  presented a congratulatory address on behalf of the guests. Special guests also included former staff members of Hawaii Hochi including editor Noriyoshi Kanazumi and former editors of The Hawaiʻi Herald Karleen Chinen and Jodie Chiemi Ching. Shizuoka Shimbun Operating Office Takao Kazama, Hawaii United Okinawa Association President Brandon Nakasone, Japan-America Society of Hawaii President Reyna Kaneko, and Hawaii Aloha Life Enrichment President Association President Ryozo Sakai were also in attendance. 

The Hawaii Hochi, a Japanese-language daily newspaper, was founded by Fred Kinzaburo Makino in 1921, which changed its name to The Hawaiʻi Herald during World War II to deflect discrimination against the Japanese. It kept The Hawaiʻi Herald name for about a decade and returned to being Hawaii Hochi newspaper in 1952.

According to Densho encyclopedia, “At the behest of new company owner Konosuke Oishi and the Hochi’s president and publisher Paul Yempuku, The Hawaiʻi Herald name reappeared in a new eight-page English language tabloid that debuted on April 1, 1969. Initially issued twice a month, it became a weekly by the end of the first year. It covered a combination of local news about local Japanese Americans movers and shakers, coverage of local Japanese American sports and athletes, the Cherry Blossom Festival (and queens), along with a substantial amount of coverage of Japan. … It came to an end in October 1973, ostensibly due to a newsprint shortage.

“Seven years later, a new version of The Hawaiʻi Herald began, also published by Yempuku and the Hochi, and also an entirely English language population subtitled ‘A Journal for Hawaiʻi’s Japanese Americans.’ Founding editor Kenneth H. Toguchi wrote that the ‘purpose of The Herald is to serve the Japanese American community, one of the largest and oldest immigrant groups in the state, by gathering information on local events, issues, lifestyles and people.’”

For 111 years, The Hawaii Hochi provided essential local and Japanese news for the Japanese speaking community, playing a key role in the growth of the Japanese American or Nikkei community.