CYPRESS, Calif. (May 5, 2014) — A documentary sponsored by Nitto Tire U.S.A. Inc. on the late Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) was recently awarded the prestigious New York Festival bronze award in the best “Biography/Profile category.
The documentary “Journey to Washington: On the Trail of Senator Inouye, Japanese-American Pioneer,” was produced by Fujisankei Communications International (FCI), the American arm of the Japanese media conglomerate Fujisankei Communications Group (FCG). Nitto, a division of Toyo Tire Holdings of Americas Inc., supported the endeavor, which the tire maker said was shot over a two-year period while closely following Sen. Inouye, the nation's first Japanese-American senator. He represented the state of Hawaii from 1965 until his death in 2012.
A decorated World War II veteran and Medal of Honor recipient, Sen. Inouye's story “represents the many challenges that Japanese Americans faced during World War II,” Nitto said.
“Despite the U.S. government's internment of Japanese descendants after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Sen. Inouye joined the segregated Nisei-only battalion to prove his American loyalty. He was an honest man, well-regarded on Capitol Hill and was a true American hero working for the people.”
Sen. Inouye opened the road to Washington and helped create a new frontier for many Japanese-Americans in the U.S., according to Nitto, which added that at the time of his death, Sen. Inouye was the highest-ranking Asian American senator and President Pro Tempore of the senate, making him third in the presidential line of succession.
