Hawaii politicians of Japanese descent

Bernard K. Akana (1920 or 1921 – April 12, 1990) was an American engineer and politician. He served as the Mayor of Hawaii County from 1988 until his death on April 12, 1990.Akana worked for the Hawaii Electric Light Company as a design planner before his retirement. He unsuccessfully ran as a perennial candidate for elected office on ten separate elections over the course of twenty years before being elected Mayor of Hawaii County in 1988.In 1988, Akana challenged incumbent Democratic Hawaii County Mayor Dante Carpenter in the mayoral election. Akana, a Republican, was considered a long shot candidate for the office. He "threw no fund-raisers, made no campaign promises, sought no union endorsements and spent only $1,660." However, on November 8, 1988, Akana pulled off an upset victory by unseating Carpenter in the election. He was sworn into office in 1988.
Akana died of stomach cancer while in office on April 12, 1990, in Hilo, Hawaii, at the age of 70. Akana's managing director, Larry Tanimoto, became acting Mayor of Hawaii upon his death. Tanimoto remained in office for eight months until a special mayoral election could be held to fill the remainder of Akana's term in office.Lorraine Inouye, a member of the Hawaii County Council, was elected to succeed Akana for the remainder of his term. She defeated her nearest rival, Stephen Yamashiro, by just 76 votes to become mayor.

Spark Masayuki Matsunaga (October 8, 1916 – April 15, 1990) was an American politician and attorney who served as United States Senator for Hawaii from 1977 until his death in 1990. Matsunaga also represented Hawaii in the U.S. House of Representatives and served in the Hawaii territorial house of representatives. A member of the Democratic Party, Matsunaga introduced legislation that led to the creation of the United States Institute of Peace and to reparations to Japanese-American World War II detainees.

George Ryoichi Ariyoshi (Japanese: 有吉 良一, born March 12, 1926) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the third governor of Hawaii from 1974 to 1986. A Democrat, he is Hawaii's longest-serving governor and the first American of Asian descent to serve as governor of a U.S. state. He assumed gubernatorial powers and duties when Governor John A. Burns was declared incapacitated in October 1973 and was elected in 1974 (assuming governorship December 1974), becoming the first Asian-American to be elected governor of a U.S. state or territory. His lengthy tenure is a record likely to remain unbroken due to term limits enacted after he left office. Ariyoshi is now considered an elder statesman of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi.