Bishop Isao Ito, Chair of the Univers Foundation and a senior leader of Shinnyo-en (one of Japan’s most prominent Buddhist organizations) visited Honolulu Mayor Richard Blangiardi on February 25 during a trip to Hawaiʻi.
Bishop Ito was in town to participate in the Social Work in Hawaii Seminar, a collaborative academic initiative between the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa School of Social Work and the Univers Foundation. The seminar reflects a shared commitment between Japanese and Hawaiian institutions to advance the practice of social work and community well-being across the Pacific.
The courtesy visit to Mayor Blangiardi spoke to the deepening relationship between Japan and Hawaiʻi in the arena of social services and civic partnership. Facilitating the visit was the Nā Lei Aloha Foundation, a Hawaiʻi-based nonprofit that serves as a sister organization to the Univers Foundation. The Foundation’s Co-Executive Director acted as liaison to Bishop Ito’s office, underscoring the close ties between the two organizations.
