By Tom McClimon
September 24, 2007

Mayors of The U.S. Conference of Mayors and the Japan Association of City Mayors met in Honolulu August 20 through 21 to participate in the Ninth U.S.-Japan Mayors Fellowship Exchange Conference.

The U.S. delegation was led by Conference of Mayors President Trenton Mayor Douglas H. Palmer. Other members included Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann, Chair of the Tourism, Arts, Parks, Entertainment and Sports Committee; Meridian Mayor John Robert Smith, Advisory Board Member; Alhambra Mayor Gary Yamauchi, Campbell Mayor Daniel Furtado, North Miami Mayor Kevin Burns, Maui Mayor Charmaine Tavares; Saipan Mayor Juan Borja Tudela and Conference Executive Director Tom Cochran.

The Japan delegation was led by Japan Association of City Mayors President Akita Mayor Norihisa Satake. Other members included Vice President Nagaoka Mayor Tamio Mori; Vice President Susono Mayor Shunji Ohashi; Vice President Takamatsu Mayor Hideto Onishi; Vice President Oita Mayor Ban Kugimiya; and Secretary General Tatsuro Yoshiyama.

Palmer welcomed his Japanese colleagues at the opening of the Fellowship Exchange Conference. “The United States Conference of Mayors strongly values its relationship with the Japan Association of City Mayors. Begun almost 20 years ago, this relationship has been one of the pillars of our international relations activities”, stated Palmer. Palmer mentioned that the topic of the meeting, environmental issues, was one of his major priorities as head of the Conference of Mayors and is an issue that “we can learn many things from one another.”

Satake responded on behalf of his Japanese colleagues and thanked Mayor Palmer and the Conference for sponsoring this meeting. “We [Japanese mayors] know that we can learn a lot from our American friends and we look forward to sharing ideas with you. Meetings, such as this one, help to further promote the relationship between our two organizations and between cities in the United States and Japan,” stated Satake.

Hannemann welcomed both the American and Japanese mayors to his city. He shared with the participants the plans that his city was initiating to cut the use of fossil fuels and to develop alternative energy and fuel sources.

The first session focused on “Educating Citizens on Environmental Challenges.” Onishi gave a presentation on the kinds of things his city was doing to help educate young people on the importance of preserving their environment. For example, all students in elementary school must take an environmental education class. In these classes, they learn how to use recyclable materials, such as making postcards out of milk cartons. They are taught that when you “beautify the environment, you also beautify your mind.”

Furtado responded for the American side by giving a presentation on describing some of the initiatives American cities were doing to protect the environment. “States and cities have been the leaders in environmental education,” stated Furtado. Many cities have instituted such things as community gardens, recycling programs, and green building codes as ways to help preserve the local environment.

The second session focused on “Measures to Reduce Waste in Our Cities.” Burns led things off with a presentation on some of the programs cities in the United States have embraced to reduce waste, such as requiring residents to purchase a standard garbage bag. He described his city’s recycling efforts and stressed that, “Children are the best weapon to get parents to recycle.”

Kugimiya responded for his Japanese colleagues by describing his city’s recycling initiatives which include 12 categories for recyclable materials including burnables, plastics, newspapers, clothing, batteries and light bulbs. His city’s goal is to recycle 35 percent of their waste by 2012. It is currently at 28 percent.

At the end of the meeting, all the mayors agreed with Hannemann’s comments that, “It is important that government lead by example…” in getting residents to be more proactive in protecting their environment.

Following the conclusion of the formal discussions, Hannemann and his economic development team led a tour of sustainable development projects in the Waikiki area. Waikiki is one of the most popular destinations in Hawaii. A number of development projects have been completed or are underway to both revitalize this area as well as to help make the area more environmentally friendly.

The next day, the mayors were given a tour of Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve. This curved bay was declared a protected marine life conservation area and underwater park in 1967. There have been a number of recent preservation efforts to protect the delicate marine ecosystem.

Prior to the beginning of the conference, the Japanese mayors paid a visit to the Pearl Harbor Naval Station to honor and pay respects to the sailors and marines who lost their lives during the 1941 attack. The mayors and officials from the Japan Association of City Mayors, along with Cochran and Smith, took a Navy operated ferry-boat out to the historic USS Arizona Memorial to conduct a wreath-laying ceremony to honor those fallen.

“Japan and America have a strong and friendly relationship and we are attempting to bring more peace into the world, so I pray for the sailors who were killed and I hope that we can make this a long-lasting, peaceful world, “ stated Satake.

The Japanese mayors, along with the Conference of Mayors representatives also paid a visit to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Often referred to as the “Punchbowl” because of its shape, the national cemetery is the final resting place for over 13,000 World War II soldiers and sailors. A wreath-laying ceremony also took place here.