A bust commemorating the legacy of Daniel Inouye (1924-2012), the first Japanese-American member of the U.S. Congress, is to be erected in his ancestral home in Fukuoka Prefecture in March.
The decorated World War II veteran, a towering figure in the U.S. legislative branch, was known as a strong advocate for the rights of minorities and justice for Japanese Americans sent to internment camps during the war, as well as for his efforts toward deepening Japan-U.S. relations.
The government of the city of Yame is planning to establish the monument to Inouye, the second-longest-serving U.S. senator in history, in a park planted with dogwood trees sent to Japan as a gift from the United States to symbolize the friendship between the two countries.