ÌìÃÀÊÓƵ

You wouldn’t know it by looking at his public schedule, which is totally blank from Monday through Friday, but Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle will be in Japan all next week.

A spokesman Friday said he’s going to be fostering sister-city relationships and promoting economic development opportunities.

The mayor’s weekly public schedule is the avenue he uses to tell the media and citizens where they can find him — and the Japan trip wasn’t mentioned this week. We only found out about it by looking at the memo he sent to the Honolulu City Council Friday informing it that Managing Director Doug Chin would be steering the ship in the mayor’s absence, from Aug. 1 – 7.

In the letter, Carlisle says his trip will “strengthen Honolulu’s Japanese sister-city ties with Hiroshima and Uwajima and promote the possibility of a sister-city relationship with Nagaoka.”

“These visits will provide me with an unparalleled opportunity to discuss ways to further cooperate in economic development, assist companies looking for business opportunities, and expand logistics and tourism network,” he writes.

Spokesman Jim Fulton said no city employees were going on the trip and that a portion of the costs was covered by a gift from Nagaoka to the City and County of Honolulu. (That gift, valued at $4,622, includes airfare, hotel accommodations, ground transportation and meals for both Carlisle and his wife. It was detailed in from Carlisle to the council sent last month.)

The city will pick up the tap for the balance of any costs the mayor accrues, and he’ll personally pay for any costs his wife racks up, Fulton said.

Asked how the public should interpret the fact that Carlisle won’t be around for the city’s sewage trucking public information meeting Monday night, Fulton said that’s merely a technical meeting. It was scheduled for the purpose of “explaining to the public what our technical plans were in the past and what our technical plans are for the future” — not to reveal or explain the mayor’s policy decision that was already announced at his July 20 press conference.

“The trip to Japan was scheduled before the environmental sewage information meeting was set up,” Fulton said. “This trip has been planned for a while.”

The trip is Carlisle’s third to Asia since he took office in October. He previously went to Korea and China.

Fulton said the mayor has been open about his desire to go to Japan and being active in the sister-city relationship.

“It has been in the public many times, his comments about it,” Fulton said. “We make choices about what we send out press releases and not send out press releases about.”

“Mayor has spoken about his plans for his Sister City trip to Japan much time in public recently. Last week Wednesday July 20 at the Kailua Chamber of Commerce he spoke about the Digester problem, APEC and about the importance of the Sister City Program and his trip to Japan,” Fulton wrote in a follow-up email to Civil Beat. “Other media was there that day and that appearance was on his public schedule. On July 14th before the Consular Corps Association of Hawaii his primary topic was about APEC and Sister City Program.”

Fulton also forwarded a city-by-city itinerary for Carlisle’s trip:

Visiting cities Nagaoka, Yokohama, Hiroshima, Matsuyama

Nagaoka City

• Purpose of visit = discuss with Nagaoka Mayor for finalizing new Sister-City relationship with Nagaoka
• Nagaoka donated their world-famous fireworks for Honolulu Festival in 2011 but was postponed due to earthquake/tsunami. Nagaoka has agreed to do fireworks for 2012 Honolulu Festival in March, during which, Nagaoka mayor will officially sign new sister-city agreement with Honolulu.
• Carlisle will be meeting with Mayor Mori, Vice Mayors, City Councilors and Executive Committee for Developing a Bridge of Friendship between USA & Japan
• Carlisle will be presenting powerpoint presentation to officials promoting Honolulu
• Carlisle will participate in Nagaoka parade, Fireworks show, and visit War Damage Exhibit Hall & Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto Memorial Museum
• Invite to upcoming Sister-Cities Summit Sept 13-15.

Yokohama

• Purpose of visit = meet with Yokohama mayor to discuss APEC (Yokohama was host of APEC in 2010)

Hiroshima

• Purpose of visit = meet with Mayor Matsui & participate in Peace Memorial Ceremony (first time since 1985 that a mayor from US has participated in this – this is of huge significance to Hiroshima)
• Hiroshima is Honolulu’s oldest and first Sister-City (52 years)
• Carlisle will be given special Honorary Citizen designation by Hiroshima mayor
• Carlisle will present speech at Peace Ceremony Reception Dinner (attended by dignitaries from around the world)

Matsuyama

• Purpose of visit = Participate in Hawaii-Ehime Day celebrations & meet with Uwajima Mayor & Governor
• Uwajima is a sister-city with Honolulu
• Carlisle will be interviewed by local media & do speech honoring our special relationship since the Ehime Maru tragedy

Honolulu will host many of its sister cities at a summit in September here in Honolulu that will serve as a mini-APEC. Events will include a welcome dinner at the Royal Hawaiian Resort on Sept. 13, events the following day at the Hawaii Convention Center, and then a farewell breakfast at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel on Sept. 15.

Here’s the alphabetical list of Honolulu’s 27 sister cities:

• Baguio, Philippines
• Baku, Ajerbaijan
• Bombay, India
• Bruyeres, France
• Caracas, Venezuela
• Cebu, Philippines
• Chengdu, China
• Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
• Hainan Island, China
• Hiroshima, Japan
• Hue, Vietnam
• Incheon, Republic of Korea
• Kaoshiung, Taiwan
• Laoag City , Philippines
• Majuro Atoll Local Government,
• Marshall Islands
• Manila, Philippines
• Mombasa, Kenya
• Naha, Okinawa
• Qinhuangdao, China
• Rabat, Morocco
• San Juan, Puerto Rico
• Seoul, Korea
• Sintra, Portugal
• Tokyo, Japan
• Uwajima, Japan
• Vigan, Philippines
• Zhongshan, China