A Japanese deputy mayor died this weekend after being pulled from the water in Waikiki, one day after accomplishing his task of establishing a sister-city relationship in the islands, Honolulu officials said Tuesday.
Chigasaki City Deputy Mayor Takehiko Kimura, 63, died Saturday morning at Straub Clinic & Hospital after he was found unresponsive in the water off Waikiki Beach. Police said the incident happened at about 8 a.m.
The Honolulu Medical Examiner’s Office said an autopsy did not immediately determine the cause of Kimura’s death.
City Council Chairman Ernie Martin said Kimura was scheduled to fly home Saturday evening and wanted one last opportunity to surf off Waikiki Beach when he ran into trouble.
"It was tragic for us to learn of his passing the day after he was finally able to fulfill not just the city’s dream, but his personal dream to have this relationship officially designated," Martin said.
Kimura had been working for about a year to encourage Honolulu to enter a sister-city relationship with Chigasaki, and he traveled to Honolulu three or four times for that purpose, each time meeting with Martin.
Kimura was jovial and passionate about his task and did not say whether he was a surfer, Martin said.
Chigasaki city in Kanagawa prefecture on Honshu chose Honolulu as its first sister-city because of many similarities, Martin said.
Chigasaki, which as a population of about 240,000, boasts about 100 hula halau, 30 surfboard shops and possibly the oldest surfboard in Japan: a core board made in Hawaii in the 1920s.
Martin said Chigasaki is considered Japan’s surfing capital, hosts the World Invitational Hula Festival and has a city assembly — known as the "Aloha Assembly" — that wears aloha shirts during summer meetings.
Chigasaki, on the coast of Sagami Bay, also has an Aloha Market, which focuses on Hawaii-related topics, and the Shonan Festival, which has the motto, "Savor Hawaiian atmosphere in Chigasaki."
Chigasaki even has a natural attraction similar to Mokolii islet off Oahu: a reef called Eboshi-Iwa after the "eboshi," a Japanese ceremonial hat worn by men.
Kimura came to Honolulu with about a dozen Chigasaki representatives for the signing ceremony.
Martin said Kimura appeared healthy Friday when Chigasaki’s mayor signed the sister-city agreement.
Kimura "was so happy," Martin said. "You could just see him beaming. He was finally able to bring to fruition what he was charged to accomplish."
Martin hoped the members of Chigasaki’s delegation found solace in Kimura’s being able to accomplish one last "significant endeavor" before his death.
He said Kimura’s family will take his body back to Japan.
Koichi Maruyama, Japanese deputy consul-general, said the consulate is providing assistance to Kimura’s family and is "very sad to hear this news."
