アイリーン・ヒラノ・イノウエ氏死去　日米交流、震災復興支援に貢献

　【ニューヨーク時事】「米日カウンシル」会長として、日米の多面的な交流促進、東日本大震災復興支援に努めたアイリーン・ヒラノ・イノウエ氏が７日、カリフォルニア州で病気のため死去した。７１歳だった。米日カウンシルが８日、発表した。
　ロサンゼルス生まれ。リトルトーキョーにある全米日系人博物館の初代館長を２０年にわたり務め、日系人社会発展にも貢献した。
　日系人初の連邦議員となり、戦後の日米関係強化に尽力した故ダニエル・イノウエ上院議員と結婚、夫婦で米日カウンシル創設に携わった。東日本大震災復興支援の一環として、日米の次世代リーダーの育成を目指す「トモダチ・イニシアチブ」を推進。今年１月、会長退任の意向を表明していた。
　杉山晋輔駐米大使はツイッターで、死去を悼むとともに「日米間に多くの重要な懸け橋を築いた」と貢献をたたえた。（2020/04/09-08:52）

Irene Hirano Inouye, who as president of the U.S.-Japan Council, promoted exchanges between the two countries and supported reconstruction from the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, died of illness in California on Tuesday, the council said Wednesday. She was 71.
   Born in Los Angeles, Hirano Inouye served as president and founding chief executive officer of the Japanese American National Museum for 20 years and contributed to the development of Japanese communities in the United States.
   She helped the establishment of the council together with her late husband, Daniel Inouye, who became the first Japanese-American U.S. congressman and worked on strengthening bilateral relations after World War II.
   Hirano Inouye also promoted the Tomodachi Initiative to invest in the next-generation of young Japanese and U.S. leaders as part of support for Japan's recovery from the 2011 disaster.
   In January this year, she announced her decision to step down as president of the council.