Posted on: Tuesday, August 21, 2001

Big Island trucker Kuwaye to be honored

By Hugh Clark
Advertiser Big Island Bureau

HILO, Hawai'i — Big Island trucking leader Yasuo Kuwaye will be honored by representatives of the Japanese community Thursday following his receipt of the Emperor's Order of the sacred Treasure.

Kuwaye will be recognized for "outstanding and unselfish service to his community."

The event will be held at the Crown Room of the Hawai'i Naniloa Resort on Banyan Drive.

Sponsors are the 5,000-member Japanese Community Association, the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Hawaii and Hui Okinawa.

Kuwaye, 79, is the latest winner of the Japanese imperial award for demonstrating "outstanding goodwill relationships between Japan and the USA."

Among earlier recipients are newspaper publisher Kiyoshi Okubo; businessmen Richard Taniguchi, Tomoo Okuyama and Tsugio Nishimura; and retired university educator Kaoru Noda.

Another recipient was the late Thomas "Lofty" Cook who was county chairman from 1960-1962.

Kuwaye, a native of Honoka'a, is the son of immigrant parents, Matsu and Umito Kuwaye of Okinawa, Japan.

The family was planning sugar plantation careers.

"Somehow my father got sidetracked into the horse-and-buggy transportation business," said Kuwaye, who was the sixth of nine children in his family.

He and his brothers operated a taxi service, gas station and bus service between Honoka'a and Hilo before he extended the business to delivering merchandise.

The firm today has a fleet of trucks that service the whole island.

He helped establish the sister-island relationship between the Big island and Japan's Oshima Island in 1962.

The testimonial is open to the public. Tickets are $20.

Reservations are being taken at the Japanese Chamber of Commerce office. Call (808)-934-0177.