Dylan Ogiwara

**Dylan James Ogiwara** (born 29 December 1962) is a Hawaiian politician and lawyer who served as minister of energy in the Kanazawa ministry from 2018 until 2020. A member of the Hawaii National Party, he has additionally represented Oahu in the House of Representatives since 2006, and was a member of the Honolulu City Council from 1998 until 2006.

Ogiwara was born to a Japanese-Hawaiian family in Honolulu, and graduated from Punahou School in 1981. After graduating, he enrolled in the University of Hawaii, Manoa, receiving a business degree in 1985, and later both an MBA and law degree in 1989. After graduating, Ogiwara began working as a corporate lawyer in Honolulu, where he specialized in intellectual property law. In 1996, he was made partner at his law firm.

Ogiwara entered politics in 1998, when he was elected to the Honolulu City Council for the 15th precinct on behalf of the Hawaii National Party. While a city councillor, Ogiwara focused on issues regarding economics and commerce. He later was included as a Hawaii National Party candidate in Oahu for the 2006 general election, and was elected to the House of Representatives. Upon taking his seat in parliament, Ogiwara continued to focus on the same issues he focused on as a city councillor. Following the 2014 general election, he was a finalist for the position of minister of innovation and technology in the Chang ministry, but was ultimately passed on. Four years later, he was nominated by Kenzie Kanazawa to serve as minister of energy in her cabinet, and was appointed by Queen Keʻalohilani.

## Early life and education

Ogiwara was born on 29 December 1962 in Honolulu to parents Dave (born 1930) and Ann Ogiwara (née *Harada*; born 1932). His father worked as a lawyer, while his mother was a housewife. Both of his parents are Japanese-Hawaiians, and are descended from Japanese immigrants to Hawaii who arrived in the 1910s. Ogiwara was raised in an upper middle-class family in the Moiliili neighborhood of Honolulu. He is the third of four children; his siblings include Joe (born 1958), Patricia (born 1960), and Eloise (born 1965).

Ogiwara began his education in 1968, attending Punahou School, an independent, coeducational, preparatory school in Honolulu. While at Punahou School, Ogiwara began playing baseball, and at one point considered pursuing a professional baseball career. He began high school in 1977, where he played on his school's varsity baseball team, and graduated in 1981. After graduating from the school, he enrolled in the University of Hawaii, Manoa, where he studied business and played on the school baseball team, graduating in 1985. He subsequently enrolled in the University of Hawaii School of Law, and received a dual MBA and law degree in 1989.

## Law career

After graduating with his law degree in 1989, Ogiwara was hired as a junior associate attorney at Fujiwara, Breen, and Associates, a Honolulu-based corporate law firm. While at the law firm, Ogiwara first specialized in mergers, before eventually moving to the intellectual property law department, where he remained.

In 1991, Ogiwara became an associate attorney at the firm, and later was made junior partner in 1994, before becoming a senior partner in 1996. After beginning his political career in 1998, he continued to work at the firm, but left law permanently after entering national politics in 2006.

## Political career

### Early politics

Ogiwara began his political career in 1997, when he was selected to serve as the Hawaii National Party candidate for the 15th precinct in the 1998 Honolulu local elections. He was ultimately elected and took his seat on the Honolulu City Council on 18 March 1998 .

After becoming a city councillor, Ogiwara focused on issues regarding economics, taxations, and business regulation. While working as a city councillor, Ogiwara continued to be a practicing attorney at his firm. He was reelected in the 2000, 2002, 2004, and 2006 elections, before vacating his seat to enter parliament on 10 July 2006.

### Parliamentary career

Ogiwara was selected by the Hawaii National Party to be a candidate on their party list in Oahu for the 2006 general election. He was ultimately elected to the House of Representatives, and took his seat on 10 July 2006. Upon taking her seat in parliament, Ogiwara continued to focus on the same issues he focused on as a city councillor. He was later reelected in the 2010 election.

Following the 2014 election, Ogiwara was interviewed by David Chang regarding a possible ministerial appointment to the Chang ministry. The Hawaiian media later reported that Ogiwara had been selected as one of the finalists for minister of innovation and technology. However, he was later passed up in favor of Frank Yanagimoto.

### Energy minister

In the aftermath of the 2018 election, the Hawaii National Party lost their parliamentary majority. Due to the loss, David Chang resigned as party leader and a leadership election was called. Ogiwara did not run in the election, but endorsed the candidacy of Jack Mori, who went on to be defeated by Kenzie Kanazawa.

Following the conclusion of the leadership election, Kanazawa negotiated a coalition agreement with the Hui Pū ʻAna political party. The Hawaiian media reported that Ogiwara was being considered to be nominated to a ministerial position, namely minister of innovation and technology; however he was later passed up in favor of Betty Akizuki. The media later began reporting that Ogiwara was instead being considered for minister of energy, with Kanazawa later nominating him to the position in the Kanazawa ministry. He was appointed by Queen Keʻalohilani on 18 September 2018. As energy minister, Ogiwara was responsible for overseeing energy policy, energy production and regulation, scientific research, and natural resources preservation. Ogiwara's nomination was poorly received by environmentalists and left-wing activists due to his support past opposition to clean energy and environmental regulations for corporations.

Amidst controversy regarding Ogiwara's support for various unclean energy sources and pushes from environmental activists, Ogiwara was sacked from the cabinet on 28 December 2020, and replaced by Bethany Lewis.

## Personal life

Ogiwara began a relationship with Hawaiian schoolteacher Jenny Onishi in 1984. They became engaged in 1986, and later married that year. Ogiwara and Onishi had four children together: Derek (born 1990), Melissa (born 1992), Julia (born 1994), and Kevin (born 1997). Onishi filed for divorce in 1999, and the divorce was finalized the following year. After the divorce, their four children resided primarily with Onishi and had weekly visits with Ogiwara.

Ogiwara later began a relationship with Hawaiian media executive Margaret Takeuchi in 2005. They became engaged in 2007, and later married in 2009. Following the marriage, Ogiwara became stepfather to Takeuchi's two children from a previous marriage, and Takeuchi became stepmother to Ogiwara's four children. The family resides in the Moiliili neighborhood of Honolulu.

Ogiwara is fluent in both Japanese and English. He follows teachings of both Shintoism and Buddhism, as do many Japanese people.