Gov. David Ige and first lady Dawn Amano-Ige returned from a diplomatic mission to Asia this week where they visited Okinawa, Japan, and Guangdong, China, to promote economic development, tourism, international student exchanges and the further development of renewable energy.

The trip, which also included a delegation from the Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, marked the 30th anniversary of Hawaii’s sister-state relationships with the countries.

Ige met Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga, Zhongshan City Mayor Chen Liangxian, U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy and other dignitaries.

“It is very clear in our meetings at that subregional level that Hawaii is viewed very differently than other states,” said Ige during a news conference yesterday. “And really, Hawaii is viewed as a gateway to strengthen the Japan-U.S. relationship as well as the U.S.-China relationship.”

The trip included diplomatic banquets, visits to power companies, meetings with travel officials and tours of universities and high schools. A 30th-anniversary gala in Guangdong included a mix of Hawaiian entertainment and traditional Chinese performances.

Ige focused in part on cultivating the partnership between Japan and Hawaii in developing renewable energy.

Following the devastating 2011 tsunami and nuclear disaster in Japan, which resulted in the country temporarily taking many of its nuclear power plants offline, the collaboration between Hawaii and Japan to develop alternative energy sources intensified.

Ige visited Okinawa Electric Power Co. and J-Power where he was briefed on their efforts to develop advanced electric grid and storage technologies, including an energy storage project that uses pumped seawater.

“Storage is the critical key to 100 percent renewables by 2045,” said Ige in reference to Hawaii’s new ambitious target to convert all of its electricity generation to renewables within the next three decades. He said Japan’s pumped storage hydroelectric project could have applications for Hawaii.

Ige also focused on trying to increase the Chinese visitor count in Hawaii, which included discussions with travel officials about establishing direct flights between southern China and Hawaii. Hawaii attracts about 1.5 million visitors from Japan annually but only 160,000 visitors from China.

As the first Hawaii governor of Okinawan descent, Ige noted that the trip held a lot of personal meaning for him. On Sunday he met with more than 30 relatives, many of whom didn’t know that he had become governor of Hawaii.