DEAN SENSUI / DSENSUI@STARBULLETIN.COM The four surviving students from the Ehime Maru sinking, along with their principal, Ietaka Horita, laid flowers at the base of the newly unveiled memorial yesterday. One of the anchors recovered from the Ehime Maru is the centerpiece for the granite monument at Kakaako Waterfront Park.

Memorial
to Ehime Maru
victims dedicated

Hopes are expressed for continued
healing and lasting friendship

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By Helen Altonn
haltonn@starbulletin.com

A memorial at Kakaako Waterfront Park to nine victims of the Ehime Maru disaster will help to heal grieving families and perpetuate friendship between Japan, the United States and Hawaii, Japanese officials say.

Dedicated in a solemn ceremony yesterday, the $65,000 memorial looks out to sea where the Japanese fisheries training vessel sunk Feb. 9, last year, after colliding with the U.S. nuclear submarine Greeneville.

More than 200 Japanese and American officials, friends and family members gathered in blustery winds on the hill to remember those who perished on the Ehime Maru.

Representing the bereaved families was Tatsuyoshi Mizuguchi, whose son Takeshi, 17, was not found during a month-long recovery operation.

He said the memorial "will become the vehicle of our hearts and we will come to Hawaii to pay homage ... We who have lost loved ones ... resolve to recover our good spirits."

Eight of the nine bodies were recovered by the Navy and Japanese Self-Defense Force divers. Twenty-six Uwajima Fisheries High School students and crew members survived.

Japanese government, education and Ehime Prefecture representatives yesterday said they pray that the 12-by-12-foot granite memorial will console spirits of the nine people killed in the accident and lead to safety and peace on the seas.

"It is a symbol of a fresh start," said one official.

The speakers expressed gratitude to the Navy, Coast Guard and Japanese divers for their recovery efforts and to Gov. Ben Cayetano and Hawaii's people for their support.

Cayetano said much has been learned from the tragedy, which has led to stricter submarine procedures, greater understanding and respect of different cultures and values and stronger bonds and respect between the nations.

After unveiling of the memorial, containing an anchor from the Ehime Maru, guests quietly filed past it one by one, offering flowers and prayers.

Students of the Uwajima Fisheries High School and St. Louis High School exchanged gifts and friendship. One participant described it as a "very Japanese" style ceremony.

Among those present were survivors of the Ehime Maru and students, teachers and crew of the Aichi Maru, a Japanese fisheries training ship in port for the day.

Among local visitors were Joyce and Ernest Fujishige, who said their Hawaii Gateball Association volunteered to help maintain the memorial one week a year. "It's something we can contribute to the community," she said.