Hawaiʻi County, and Honorary Consul General of Japan in Hilo, Art Taniguchi, will be hosting ‘Books of Condolences’ in memory of the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

The books, which will be open to the public through Friday, July 15, can be found at both the Hilo and Kona Mayor’s Offices for public comment.  They will then be hand-delivered to the Consul General of Japan in Honolulu and sent to Japan to be stored and archived for Prime Minister Abe’s ʻohana.

In a press release Hawai’i County Mayor Mitch Roth said, “We encourage anyone with a message of solidarity and unity for our Japanese brothers and sisters to come down to the Mayor’s office and share that message.  Prime Minister Abe was a friend to Hawaiʻi and the United States, and through that, there are many across our state who have been impacted by his sudden passing. Regardless of our differences with our elected officials, we should all stand against violence and join the Japanese community in memorial and mourning.”

The last time the County of Hawaiʻi hosted books of condolences for Japan was in 2011, when The Great Tōhoku earthquake destroyed more than 100,000 buildings and triggered a nuclear disaster.

(Photo credit: Office of Mayor Mitch Roth)