HONOLULU — A Japanese deputy mayor visiting Hawaii to establish a sister-cities relationship with Honolulu died after he was pulled from waters off popular Waikiki Beach. ADVERTISING HONOLULU — A Japanese deputy mayor visiting Hawaii to establish a sister-cities relationship
HONOLULU — A Japanese deputy mayor visiting Hawaii to establish a sister-cities relationship with Honolulu died after he was pulled from waters off popular Waikiki Beach.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports 63-year-old Takehiko Kimura, the deputy mayor of Chigasaki, died Saturday morning.
Honolulu City Council Chairman Ernie Martin says Kimura had been encouraging Honolulu to enter a sister-city relationship for about a year. He had made at least three trips to Hawaii.
The mayor of Chigasaki, a city southwest of Tokyo, signed the sister-city agreement Friday.
Martin says Kimura was scheduled to fly home Saturday night and had decided to spend the day surfing.
Kimura was found unresponsive in the water at about 8 a.m. and pronounced dead at a local hospital.
An autopsy didn’t immediately determine a cause of death.
