Former Gov. George Ariyoshi, Hawaiʻi’s third governor and the longest-serving in state history, has died at 100.
His passing comes just months after celebrating his 100th birthday on March 12 and his 70th wedding anniversary to former First Lady Jean Ariyoshi in February.
In remembering Ariyoshi, HPR takes a look back at a conversation shared with the former governor back in 2020.
HPR spoke with Ariyoshi about his memories of World War II and the beginning of his political career in 1954. He shared a message about the importance of spreading friendship throughout the world; something that resonates still to this day.
“My children, I want them to know that no matter what happens, friendship between nations becomes very important. No matter what happens and why we got, what would happen to that point, it's important we try, at any point, to develop this friendship in a worldwide basis. That's what I want to happen, friendship all over the world,” he said.
To offer further reflection on Ariyoshi’s passing, HPR spoke with Nate Gyotoku, president of the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaiʻi.
The JCCH facility in Moʻiliʻili houses a permanent exhibit that opened over three decades ago titled “Okage Sama De,” a Japanese saying that Ariyoshi often said.
As Gyotoku explained, “Governor Ariyoshi mentioned the phrase ‘okage sama de,' which is a value that we hear a lot, which is, ‘I am what I am because of you.’ And it's a broad reference, but it could mean your ancestors or your community. ...
“And I think he used it in all terms like that, where he viewed himself as a public servant, and he is in that role because of his family and his parents and his grandparents, but also his community that supported him.”
Ariyoshi was the first Asian American to serve as governor of a U.S. state, and his role in office was one of great significance to the Japanese American community, especially in Hawaiʻi.
“Gov. Ariyoshi’s generation, that second generation, they were essentially the last link to those original immigrants that came over from Japan,” explained Gyotoku, who identifies as a fourth-generation immigrant. “They were this bridge of people that kind of connected us to our past.”
Ariyoshi’s life and legacy are memorialized as part of the “Okage Sama De” exhibit at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaiʻi, alongside other celebrated figures in Japanese-American history such as astronaut Ellison S. Onizuka.
More information about the permanent JCCH exhibit can be found here.
This story aired on The Conversation on April 20, 2026. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. Jinwook Lee adapted this story for the web.
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