Former Gov. George Ari­yo­shi and his wife, Jean, will be honored by the Japan-America Society of Hawaii for their lifetime work of enhancing ties between Hawaii and Japan.

JASH will fete the Ari­yo­shis at its annual dinner Oct. 25 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Coral Ballroom.

The keynote speaker at the event will be Yuriko Koike, a member of Japan’s House of Representatives. She served as special adviser to the prime minister for national security affairs in 2006 and was the first woman to serve as Japan’s minister of defense in 2007.

Gov. Ariyoshi promoted several sister-state relationships with Japa­nese prefectures that include Fuku­oka and Oki­nawa during his tenure. Ari­yo­shi was the first person of Japa­nese ancestry to be elected governor in the nation. He served as governor for Hawaii from 1974 to 1986.

Ariyoshi continues to strengthen ties through his service on advisory boards such as the Japan Foundation’s Center for Global Partnership and Japan-U.S. Science, Space, Technology & Space Application Program.

Jean Ariyoshi actively helped her husband foster relations with other countries. She’s an active board member of the Japa­nese Women’s Society of Hawaii, the Noel Foundation and the Ura­senke International Foundation of Hawaii. She also was instrumental in arranging tea ceremonies by Grand Tea Master Gen­shi­tsu Sen in Hawaii to promote peace.

Each year, the Japan-America Society of Hawaii honors community members with an award acknowledging their work to enhance ties between Japan and Hawaii.