View source for Daniel Inouye

{{Short description|American politician (1924–2012)}}
{{redirect|Senator Inouye|the unrelated member of the Hawaii State Senate|Lorraine Inouye}}
{{Use American English|date = October 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name         = Dan Inouye
|image        = Daniel Inouye Official Photo 2009.jpg
|caption      = Official portrait, 2009
|office       = [[President pro tempore of the United States Senate]]
|term_start   = June 28, 2010
|term_end     = December 17, 2012
|predecessor  = [[Robert Byrd]]
|successor    = [[Patrick Leahy]]
|office1      = 43rd [[Dean of the United States Senate]]
|term_start1  = June 28, 2010
|term_end1    = December 17, 2012
|predecessor1 = [[Robert Byrd]]
|successor1   = [[Patrick Leahy]]
{{Collapsed infobox section begin|Senate positions|titlestyle=border: 1px dashed lightgrey;}}
{{Infobox officeholder |embed=yes
|office2      = Chair of the [[United States Senate Committee on Appropriations|Senate Appropriations Committee]]
|term_start2  = January 3, 2009
|term_end2    = December 17, 2012
|predecessor2 = Robert Byrd
|successor2   = [[Barbara Mikulski]]
|office3      = Chair of the [[United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation|Senate Commerce Committee]]
|term_start3  = January 3, 2007
|term_end3    = January 3, 2009
|predecessor3 = [[Ted Stevens]]
|successor3   = [[Jay Rockefeller]]
|office4      = Chair of the [[United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs|Senate Indian Affairs Committee]]
|term_start4  = June 6, 2001
|term_end4    = January 3, 2003
|predecessor4 = [[Ben Nighthorse Campbell]]
|successor4   = [[Ben Nighthorse Campbell]]
|term_start5  = January 3, 1987
|term_end5    = January 3, 1995
|predecessor5 = [[Mark Andrews (politician)|Mark Andrews]]
|successor5   = [[John McCain]]
|office6      = [[Democratic Conference Secretary of the United States Senate|Secretary of the Senate Democratic Conference]]
|leader6      = [[Mike Mansfield]]<br>[[Robert Byrd]]
|term_start6  = January 3, 1977
|term_end6    = January 3, 1989
|predecessor6 = [[Frank Moss (politician)|Ted Moss]]
|successor6   = [[David Pryor]]
|office7      = Chair of the [[United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence|Senate Intelligence Committee]]
|term_start7  = May 19, 1976
|term_end7    = January 27, 1978
|predecessor7 = [[Frank Church]] ([[Church Committee]])
|successor7   = [[Birch Bayh]]
}}
{{Collapsed infobox section end}}
|jr/sr8       = United States Senator
|state8       = [[Hawaii]]
|term_start8  = January 3, 1963
|term_end8    = December 17, 2012
|predecessor8 = [[Oren E. Long|Oren Long]]
|successor8   = [[Brian Schatz]]
|state9       = [[Hawaii]]
|district9    = {{ushr|HI|AL|at-large}}
|term_start9  = August 21, 1959
|term_end9    = January 3, 1963
|predecessor9 = [[John A. Burns|John Burns]] ([[Delegate (United States Congress)|Delegate]])
|successor9   = [[Thomas Gill (politician)|Thomas Gill]]
|birth_name   = Daniel Ken Inouye
|birth_date   = {{birth date|1924|9|7}}
|birth_place  = [[Honolulu]], [[Territory of Hawaii|Hawaii]], U.S.
|death_date   = {{nowrap|{{death date and age|2012|12|17|1924|9|7}}}}
|death_place  = [[Bethesda, Maryland]], U.S.
|restingplace = [[National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific]]
|party        = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|spouse       = {{ubl |{{marriage|Margaret Shinobu Awamura|June 12, 1948|March 13, 2006|end=d}} |{{marriage|[[Irene Hirano]]|May 24, 2008}}}}
|children     = 1
|education    = {{ubl |[[University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa|University of Hawaii, Manoa]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]]) |[[George Washington University]] ([[Juris Doctor|JD]])}}
|signature    = Daniel K. Inouye Signature.svg
|allegiance   = {{flag|United States|1912}}
|branch       = {{army|United States}}
|serviceyears = 1943–1947
|rank         = [[Captain (United States O-3)|Captain]]
|unit         = [[442nd Infantry Regiment (United States)|442nd Regimental Combat Team]]
|battles      = [[World War II]]{{WIA}}
|mawards      = {{ubl |[[Medal of Honor]] |[[Bronze Star Medal|Bronze Star]] |[[Purple Heart]] |[[European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal]] |[[World War II Victory Medal (United States)|World War II Victory Medal]] |[[Presidential Medal of Freedom]]}}
|module       = {{Listen |pos=center |embed=yes |filename=Sen. Dan Inouye Criticism of the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 1991.ogg |title=Inouye's voice |type=speech |description=Inouye criticizing the [[Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 1991|1991 AUMF against Iraq]].<br>Recorded January 12, 1991}}
}}
'''Daniel Ken Inouye''' ({{IPAc-en|iː|ˈ|n|oʊ|ˌ|eɪ}} {{respell|ee|NOH|ay}},<ref>As pronounced by himself in "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JT6jxGMqrRU Asian Americans Should Run for Office]".</ref> {{langx|ja|井上 建}},<ref>{{cite web | url=https://hojishinbun.hoover.org/?a=d&d=tht19541004-01.1.10&srpos=1&e=-------ja-10--1--txt-%e6%9d%be%e6%b0%b8%e6%ad%a3%e5%b9%b8------ | title=Hawaii Times 1954.10.04 — 邦字新聞デジタル・コレクション }}</ref> September 7, 1924 – December 17, 2012) was an American attorney, soldier, and statesman from the state of [[Hawaii]]. A Democrat, Inouye served in Hawaii's territorial House of Representatives and territorial Senate, and he also served in the [[United States House of Representatives]] and the [[United States Senate]]. Inouye is known for his World War II heroism and for his longevity in public service; he served in the U.S. Senate for 49 years.

Inouye [[Japanese American service in World War II|fought]] in [[World War II]] as part of the [[442nd Infantry Regiment (United States)|442nd Infantry Regiment]]. He lost his right arm to a grenade wound and received several military decorations, including the [[Medal of Honor]] (the nation's highest military award). Inouye later earned a [[Juris Doctor|J.D.]] degree from [[George Washington University Law School]].

Returning to Hawaii, Inouye was elected to Hawaii's [[Territory of Hawaii|territorial]] [[Hawaiian Organic Act#Hawaii House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] in 1953 and was elected to the [[Hawaiian Organic Act#Hawaii Senate|territorial Senate]] in 1957. When Hawaii [[Hawaii Admission Act|achieved]] [[U.S. state|statehood]] in 1959, Inouye was elected as its first member of the U.S. House of Representatives. He was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1962. Inouye was the second Asian American U.S. senator in history, following Hawaii Republican [[Hiram Fong]]. Because of his seniority, Inouye became president pro tempore of the Senate following the death of [[Robert Byrd]] on June 28, 2010, making him third in the [[United States presidential line of succession|presidential line of succession]] after the vice president and the speaker of the House of Representatives. Inouye continued to serve in the U.S. Senate until his death in 2012. He never lost an election in 58 years as an elected official, and he exercised an exceptionally large influence on Hawaii politics.

Inouye was a posthumous recipient of the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] and the [[Order of the Paulownia Flowers]]. Among other public structures named after Inouye, Honolulu International Airport has since been renamed [[Daniel K. Inouye International Airport]] in his memory.

==Early life (1924–1942)==
Daniel Ken Inouye was born in [[Honolulu]], [[Territory of Hawaii]] on September 7, 1924.{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=27}} His father, Hyotaro Inouye, was a jeweler<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=DePledge |first=Derrick |date=2012-12-21 |title=Honor and loyalty |url=https://www.staradvertiser.com/2012/12/21/hawaii-news/honor-and-loyalty/ |access-date=2022-06-05 |website=Honolulu Star-Advertiser |language=en-US}}</ref> who had immigrated to Hawaii from Japan as a child.{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=18-19}} His mother, Kame (''née'' Imanaga) Inouye, was a homemaker<ref name=":0" /> born on [[Maui]] to Japanese immigrants.{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=26}} Her parents died young, and she was adopted and raised by a family in Honolulu. Both of Daniel's parents were Christians. They met at the River Street Methodist Church in Honolulu and married in 1923.{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=27}} Inouye was a ''[[Nisei]]'' (second-generation Japanese-American) through his father and a ''[[Sansei]]'' (third-generation) through his mother. He was named after his mother's adoptive father.{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=27}}

Inouye grew up in Bingham Tract, a [[Chinese Americans|Chinese-American]] enclave in Honolulu.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Daniel Inouye: A Japanese American Soldier's Valor in World War II (U.S. National Park Service) |url=https://www.nps.gov/articles/inouyeww2.htm |access-date=2022-06-12 |website=www.nps.gov |language=en}}</ref> He was raised Christian,{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=7}} and was the oldest of four children.{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=36}} As a child, Inouye collected [[homing pigeon]]s, which were hatched from eggs given to him at an army base in [[Schofield Barracks]] in return for Inouye cleaning the coops. As a teenager, he worked on the local beaches teaching tourists how to surf.{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=38}} Inouye's parents raised him and his siblings with a mix of American and Japanese customs. His parents spoke English at home, but had their children attend a private Japanese language school in addition to public school.{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=41}} Inouye dropped out of the Japanese school in 1939 because he disagreed with his instructor's anti-American rhetoric, and focused on his studies at [[President William McKinley High School]].{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=45}} Inouye intended to go to college and medical school after his planned 1942 graduation.{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=46}}

Inouye witnessed the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] on December 7, 1941, while still a high school senior.{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=49}} The Japanese surprise attack brought the United States into [[World War II]]. Being a volunteer first aid instructor with the [[American Red Cross|Red Cross]], he was called on by his supervisor to report to a Red Cross station set up at Lunalilo Elementary School.{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=51}} There, Inouye tended to civilians injured by antiaircraft shells that had fallen into the city. After the United States declared war on Japan the next day, Inouye took up a paid job from his Red Cross supervisor to work there as a medical aide. For the rest of his senior year, Inouye attended school during the day and worked at the Red Cross station at night.{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=52}} He graduated from McKinley High School in 1942.<ref>{{cite web |title=McKinley High School Hall of Honor |url=http://www.mckinley.k12.hi.us/hall_of_honor.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104150357/http://www.mckinley.k12.hi.us/hall_of_honor.html |archive-date=November 4, 2012 |access-date=December 28, 2012}}</ref>

Although Inouye wanted to join the Armed Forces when he completed high school, Japanese-Americans were excluded from doing so at that time. Beginning in February 1942, the [[United States Department of War]] had declared all Japanese-Americans as "[[enemy alien]]s", which meant they could not volunteer or be drafted for military service (an exception was made for the previously established 298th and 299th Infantry Regiments, which became the [[100th Infantry Battalion]] in 1942).{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=58}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Nisei Allowed to Serve |url=https://www.nvlchawaii.org/nisei-allowed-to-serve/ |website=Nisei Veterans Legacy |date=3 September 2022}}</ref> Inouye enrolled at the [[University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa]] in September 1942 as a premedical student with the goal of becoming a surgeon.{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=58}}

==Army service (1943–1947)==
[[File:First Lt Daniel Inouye.jpg|thumb|upright|Inouye as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army|left]]
In March 1943, U.S. President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] established the [[442nd Infantry Regiment (United States)|442nd Regimental Combat Team]], an all-''Nisei'' combat unit. Inouye applied and was initially turned down because his work at the Red Cross was deemed critical, but was inducted later that month.{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=60}} The unit was composed of over 2,500 ''Nisei'' from Hawaii, and 800 from the mainland. Inouye went with his unit in April to [[Camp Shelby]] in [[Mississippi]] for a 10-month training period, postponing his medical studies.{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=60}} While in Mississippi, the unit visited the [[Rohwer War Relocation Center]] in [[Arkansas]], where Inouye witnessed the [[internment of Japanese Americans]] first hand.{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=66}}

The 442nd shipped off to Italy in May 1944 after the conclusion of their training,{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=67}} shortly before the liberation of [[Rome]].<ref name="pbs">{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/thewar/detail_5165.htm |title=The War |publisher=[[PBS]] |access-date=March 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170317054934/https://www.pbs.org/thewar/detail_5165.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 17, 2017}}</ref> Inouye was promoted to sergeant within the first three months of fighting in the Italian countryside north of Rome.{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=68}}<ref name="pbs" /> The 442nd was then sent to eastern France, where they seized the towns of [[Bruyères]], [[Belmont, Bas-Rhin|Belmont]], and [[Biffontaine]] from the Germans.{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=68}} In late October, the regiment was transferred to the [[Vosges Mountains]] region of France, where they rescued 211 members of the 1st Battalion of the [[141st Infantry Regiment]], otherwise known as the "[[Lost Battalion (World War II)|Lost Battalion]]".{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=68}} Inouye received a [[battlefield commission]] to [[second lieutenant]] for his actions there, becoming the youngest officer in his regiment.{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=70}}<ref name="pbs" /> During the battle, a shot struck him in the chest directly above his heart, but the bullet was stopped by the two [[Dollar coin (United States)|silver dollars]] he happened to have stacked in his shirt pocket.<ref name="Glory47">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S7STBPQkiuwC&pg=PA47 |page=47 |title=Beyond Glory: Medal of Honor Heroes in Their Own Words |year=2004 |publisher=W.W. Norton and Company |first=Larry |last=Smith|isbn=9780393325621}}</ref> He continued to carry the coins throughout the war in his shirt pocket as good luck charms, but lost them later, shortly before the battle in which he lost his arm.<ref>{{Cite news |agency=Associated Press |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=p8JdAAAAIBAJ&pg=4184,3048052 |date=August 18, 1988 |title=Inouye Reflects on War Exploits}}</ref> The 442nd spent the next several months near [[Nice]], guarding the French-Italian border until early 1945, when they were called to Northern Italy to assist with an assault on German strongholds in the [[Apennine Mountains]].{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=70}}

===World War II wounds and heroism===
On April 21, 1945, Inouye was grievously wounded while leading an assault on the heavily defended Colle Musatello ridge near San Terenzo Monti, Tuscany, Italy. The ridge served as a strongpoint of the German fortifications known as the [[Gothic Line]], the last and most unyielding line of German defensive works in Italy. During a [[flanking maneuver]] against German machine gun nests, Inouye was shot in the stomach from 40 yards away. Ignoring his wound, Inouye proceeded with the attack and together with the unit, destroyed the first two machine gun nests. As his squad distracted the third machine gunner, the injured Inouye crawled toward the final bunker and came within 10 yards. As he prepared to toss a grenade within, a German soldier fired out a 30 mm [[Schiessbecher]] [[rifle grenade|antipersonnel rifle grenade]] at Inouye, striking Inouye in the right elbow. Although it failed to detonate, the blunt force of the grenade [[traumatic amputation|amputated]] most of his right arm at the elbow. The nature of the injury caused Inouye's arm muscles to involuntarily squeeze the grenade tightly via a [[reflex arc]], preventing his arm from going limp and dropping a live grenade at his feet. This injury left Inouye disabled, in terrible pain, under fire with minimal cover and staring at a live grenade "clenched in a fist that suddenly didn't belong to me anymore."<ref name="Rising216">{{Cite book |last=Yenne |first=Bill |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ok3JZw28xhEC&pg=PA216 |title=Rising sons: the Japanese American GIs who fought for the United States in World War II |publisher=Macmillan |year=2007 |isbn=9780312354640 |page=216}}</ref>

Inouye's platoon moved to his aid, but Inouye shouted for them to keep back out of fear his severed fist would involuntarily relax and drop the grenade. As the German inside the bunker began reloading his rifle with regular [[full metal jacket bullet|full metal jacket]] ammunition to finish off Inouye, Inouye pried the live hand grenade from his useless right hand with his left, and tossed it into the bunker, killing the German. Stumbling to his feet, Inouye continued forward, killing at least one more German before sustaining his fifth and final wound of the day in his left leg. Inouye fell unconscious, and awoke to see the worried men of his platoon hovering over him. His only comment before being carried away was to gruffly order them back to their positions, saying "Nobody called off the war!"<ref name="Giants180">{{Cite book |last=Risjord |first=Norman K. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aOjP45DTUpAC&pg=PA180 |title=Giants in their time: representative Americans from the Jazz Age to the Cold War |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |year=2006 |isbn=9780742527850 |page=180}}</ref> By the end of the day, the ridge had fallen to American control, without the loss of any soldiers in Inouye's platoon.{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=71}} The remainder of Inouye's mutilated right arm was later [[amputated]] at a [[field hospital]] without proper anesthesia, as he had been given too much [[morphine]] at an aid station and it was feared any more would lower his blood pressure enough to kill him.<ref>{{cite web |title=The War |url=https://www.pbs.org/thewar/detail_5165.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012182541/http://www.pbs.org/thewar/detail_5165.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 12, 2007 |access-date=March 19, 2010 |publisher=Public Broadcasting System}}</ref> The war in Europe ended on May 8, less than three weeks later.{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=71}}

===Rehabilitation and discharge===
[[File:Bob Dole and Daniel Inouye at Percy Jones Army Hospital.jpg|thumb|Inouye (''left'') with his friend and future fellow senator [[Bob Dole]] (''next to Inouye''), playing cards while recovering at [[Percy Jones Army Hospital]].]]
Shortly before the Japanese surrender and end of World War II in August 1945, Inouye was shipped back to the United States to recover for eleven months at a rehabilitation center for wounded soldiers in [[Atlantic City, New Jersey]].{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=71}} In mid-1946, Inouye was transferred to the [[Percy Jones Army Hospital]] in [[Battle Creek, Michigan]], to continue his rehabilitation for nine more months.{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=71}} While recovering there, Inouye met future [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] senator and presidential candidate [[Bob Dole]], then a fellow patient.{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=71}} The two became friends and would often play [[Contract bridge|bridge]] together. Dole shared with Inouye his long-term plans to attend law school and become an attorney, and later run for state legislature and eventually the [[United States Congress]]. With Inouye's plans to become a surgeon dashed due to his injury, Dole's plans for a career in public service inspired Inouye to consider entering politics.{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=73}} Inouye ultimately beat Dole to congress. The two remained lifelong friends. In 2003, the hospital was renamed the [[Hart–Dole–Inouye Federal Center]] in honor of the two World War II [[veteran]]s, as well as [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] senator [[Philip Hart]], who had been a patient at the hospital after sustaining injuries on [[Normandy landings|D-Day]].<ref>{{cite news |author=Ed O'Keefe |date=December 20, 2012 |title=Bob Dole pays respects to Daniel Inouye in Capitol Rotunda |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/2chambers/wp/2012/12/20/bob-dole-pays-respects-to-daniel-inouye-in-capitol-rotunda/ |access-date=December 24, 2012}}</ref>

Inouye was [[honorably discharged]] with the rank of [[Captain (United States)|captain]] in May 1947 after 20 months of rehabilitation.{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=74}} At the time, he was a recipient of the [[Bronze Star Medal]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. Senate: Daniel K. Inouye: A Featured Biography |url=https://www.senate.gov/senators/FeaturedBios/Featured_Bio_Inouye.htm |access-date=2022-06-12 |website=www.senate.gov}}</ref> [[Distinguished Service Cross (United States)|Distinguished Service Cross]], and three [[Purple Heart]]s.{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=71}} Many in his regiment believed that, were he not Japanese-American, he would have been awarded the [[Medal of Honor]], the nation's highest military award.{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=71}} Inouye eventually received the Medal of Honor on June 21, 2000, from President [[Bill Clinton]], along with 19 other Japanese American servicemen in the 442nd.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Medal of Honor Recipient Daniel Inouye Led a Life of Service to His Country |url=https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/medal-of-honor-recipient-daniel-inouye |access-date=2022-06-12 |website=The National WWII Museum {{!}} New Orleans |date=July 19, 2020 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Daniel K. Inouye – World War II – US Army – Medal of Honor Recipient|url=https://www.cmohs.org/recipients/daniel-k-inouye|url-status=live|website=www.cmohs.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201207165132/https://www.cmohs.org/recipients/daniel-k-inouye |archive-date=December 7, 2020}}</ref>

==Education and early political career (1947-1962)==
[[File:Official Portrait of the Hawaii Territorial Senate, 1958.png|thumb|The [[Hawaii Territorial Senate]] in 1958. Inouye is standing second from left.]]
Inouye decided to study law, hoping that doing so would lead him into a political career.{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=77}} He enrolled at the [[University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa]] in late 1947 as a prelaw student, majoring in government and economics.{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=76}} Inouye relied on the financial benefits of the [[G.I. Bill]] to fund his education.{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=76}} When not in class, he volunteered for the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] at the Honolulu County Democratic Committee. Inouye had been talked into joining the party by [[John A. Burns]], a former police captain and future governor, who had ties to the Japanese American community. Though the territory of Hawaii had been politically dominated by the Republican Party, Burns convinced Inouye that the Democratic Party could help Japanese Hawaiians achieve social and economic reform.{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=76}} 

After graduating in 1950, Inouye moved with his wife to Washington D.C. so he could continue his studies at [[George Washington University Law School]].{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=77}} While there, Inouye volunteered at the [[Democratic National Committee]] (DNC) headquarters to gain more experience to bring back with him to Hawaii.{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=77}} Inouye earned his [[Juris Doctor|J.D.]] degree in two years, and moved back with his wife to Hawaii in late 1952.{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=77}} Inouye spent the next year studying for the Hawaii [[Bar examination|bar exam]] and volunteering with the Democratic Party. After passing the bar exam in August 1953, Inouye was appointed assistant public prosecutor for the city and county of Honolulu by the city mayor and fellow Democrat [[John H. Wilson (Hawaii politician)|John Wilson]].{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=78}}

At the urging of Burns, Inouye successfully ran for the [[Hawaii Territorial House of Representatives]] in the November 1954 election, representing the Fourth District.{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=80}} The election came to be known as the [[Hawaii Democratic Revolution of 1954]], as the long-entrenched Republican control of the [[Hawaii Territorial Legislature]] abruptly ended with a wave of Democratic candidates taking their seats. The election also filled the legislature with Japanese-American politicians, who previously held few seats.{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=81}} Inouye was immediately elected majority leader. He served two terms there, and was elected to the Hawaii territorial senate in 1957. Midway through Inouye's first term, [[Hawaii Admission Act|Hawaii achieved statehood]]. He won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives as Hawaii's first full member, and took office August 21, 1959, the same date Hawaii became a state. Inouye was re-elected in 1960. While in the [[United States House of Representatives| House of Representatives]], Inouye voted in favor of the [[Civil Rights Act of 1960|Civil Rights Acts of 1960]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=HR 8601. CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1960. APPROVAL BY THE HOUSE OF THE SENATE'S AMENDMENTS. |url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/86-1960/h106 |access-date=January 12, 2025 |website=GovTrack.us}}</ref> and for the [[Twenty-fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution|24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution]].<ref>{{cite web |title=S.J. RES. 29. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO BAN THE USE OF POLL TAX AS A REQUIREMENT FOR VOTING IN FEDERAL ELECTIONS. |url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/87-1962/h193 |work=GovTrack.us}}</ref>

==United States Senate (1963–2012)==
[[File:President John F. Kennedy and Daniel Inouye.jpg|thumb|right|Inouye with President [[John F. Kennedy]] in 1962]]
In 1962, Inouye was elected to the U.S. Senate, succeeding retiring fellow Democrat [[Oren E. Long]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://time.com/archive/6625564/nation-hawaii-island-sweep/|title=Nation: Hawaii: Island Sweep |website=Time|date=November 16, 1962}}</ref>

Inouye was the chairman of the [[Senate Intelligence Committee]] between 1976 and 1979 and the chairman of the Senate [[Indian Affairs Committee]] between 1987 and 1995. He introduced the [[National Museum of the American Indian Act]] in 1984, which led to the opening of the [[National Museum of the American Indian]] in 2004. Inouye was chairman of the [[Senate Indian Affairs Committee]] between 2001 and 2003, chairman of the [[Senate Commerce Committee]] between 2007 and 2009, and chairman of the [[Senate Appropriations Committee]] between 2009 and 2012. 

Inouye voted in favor of the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=HR. 7152. PASSAGE. – Senate Vote #409 – Jun 19, 1964 |url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/88-1964/s409 |access-date=May 20, 2020 |website=GovTrack.us}}</ref> [[Civil Rights Act of 1968]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=TO PASS H.R. 2516, A BILL TO PROHIBIT DISCRIMINATION IN ... – Senate Vote #346 – Mar 11, 1968 |url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/90-1968/s346 |access-date=May 20, 2020 |website=GovTrack.us}}</ref> and the [[Voting Rights Act of 1965]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=TO PASS S. 1564, THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT OF 1965. |url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/89-1965/s78 |access-date=January 12, 2025 |website=GovTrack.us}}</ref>

In August 1968, President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] placed a phone call to vice president and Democratic presumptive presidential nominee [[Hubert Humphrey]], urging him to select Inouye as his running mate.<ref name="LBJ Library">{{cite web |title=Recording of Telephone Conversation between Lyndon B. Johnson and Hubert Humphrey |url=http://www.lbjlibrary.org/press/lbj-in-the-news/hawaiis-inouye-senator-and-war-hero-dies-at-88 |publisher=LBJ Library |access-date=October 21, 2020 |archive-date=October 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022224358/http://www.lbjlibrary.org/press/lbj-in-the-news/hawaiis-inouye-senator-and-war-hero-dies-at-88 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Johnson went as far as to request a background check on Inouye from the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]].<ref>{{cite news |title=LBJ urged Humphrey to consider Inouye for V.P. |url=https://www.deseret.com/2008/12/7/20289942/lbj-urged-humphrey-to-consider-inouye-for-v-p |access-date=October 21, 2020 |agency=Associated Press|via=Deseret.com |date=December 7, 2008}}</ref> Johnson told Humphrey that Inouye's World War II injuries would silence Humphrey's critics on the [[Vietnam War]]: "He answers Vietnam with that empty sleeve. He answers your problems with (Republican presumptive presidential nominee and former vice president Richard) Nixon with that empty sleeve", Johnson said.<ref name="LBJ Library"/> Humphrey eventually chose [[Edmund Muskie]] as his running mate, and lost the [[1968 United States presidential election|election]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.startribune.com/humphrey-chose-muskie-and-set-a-new-standard-for-running-mates/27542419/|title = Humphrey chose Muskie, and set a new standard for running mates| website=[[Star Tribune]]| date=August 27, 2008 }}</ref> According to his chief of staff, Jennifer Sabas, Inouye knew that he was being considered as a vice presidential pick, but was uninterested in the possibility, apparently content with his Senate position.<ref name="LBJ pushed Humphrey to mull Inouye as VP candidate">{{cite news |title=LBJ pushed Humphrey to mull Inouye as VP candidate |url=https://www.mcall.com/sdut-inouye-vice-president-120608-2008dec06-story.html |access-date=November 12, 2021 |publisher=mcall.com |date=December 6, 2008 |archive-date=November 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211113070404/https://www.mcall.com/sdut-inouye-vice-president-120608-2008dec06-story.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Inouye delivered the keynote address at the turbulent [[1968 Democratic National Convention]] in Chicago<ref name="AP19680827">Associated Press (Chicago), "Keynoter Knows Sting of Bias, Poverty", ''St. Petersburg Times'', August 27, 1968.</ref> and gained national attention for his service on the [[Senate Watergate Committee]].

Inouye was also involved in the [[Iran–Contra affair|Iran-Contra]] investigations of the 1980s, chairing a special committee ([[Congressional committees investigating the Iran–Contra affair|Senate Select Committee on Secret Military Assistance to Iran and the Nicaraguan Opposition]]) from 1987 until 1989. In his closing statement of the hearings, Inouye commented that the investigations had revealed the participants' alternative vision of government, saying:

{{blockquote|text=That of a secret government, directed principally by NSC staffers, accountable to not a single elected official, including apparently the President himself—a shadowy Government with its own Air Force, its own Navy, its own fundraising mechanism, and the ability to pursue its own ideas of the national interest, free from all checks and balances, and free from the law itself.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbFphX5zb8w| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211114/EbFphX5zb8w| archive-date=2021-11-14 | url-status=live|title=Re: Senator Daniel Inouye on the shadow government| date=August 11, 2007|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>}}

Criticizing the logic of Marine Lt. Colonel [[Oliver North]]'s justifications for his actions in the affair, Inouye made reference to the Nuremberg trials, provoking a heated interruption from North's attorney [[Brendan Sullivan (lawyer)|Brendan Sullivan]], an exchange that was widely repeated in the media at the time. He was also seen as a pro-[[Republic of China|Taiwan]] senator and helped in forming the [[Taiwan Relations Act]].

On May 1, 1977, Inouye stated that [[Jimmy Carter|President Carter]] had telephoned him to express his objections to a sentence in the Senate Intelligence Committee's report on the Central Intelligence Agency.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/05/02/archives/senator-inouye-will-see-carter-about-release-of-report-on-cia.html|title=Senator Inouye Will See Carter About Release of Report on C.I.A.|date=May 2, 1977|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

In 1986, West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd opted to run for Senate Majority Leader, believing that his two opponents to claiming the position would be Inouye and Louisiana Senator [[J. Bennett Johnston]]. Cutting a deal with Inouye, Byrd pledged that he would step aside from the position in 1989 if Inouye supported him for Senate Majority Leader of the [[100th United States Congress]]. Inouye accepted the offer and was given the chance to select the new Senate sergeant-at-arms.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1987/11/04/the-byrd-inouye-leadership-deal/7c9a737a-c09d-4dbe-af32-b2f31e78288b/|title=The Byrd-Inouye Leadership Deal|date=November 4, 1987|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref>

On November 20, 1993, Inouye voted against the [[North American Free Trade Agreement]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/21/us/senate-roll-call-on-trade-pact.html|title=Senate Roll-Call On Trade Pact|date=November 21, 1993|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> The trade agreement linked the United States, Canada, and Mexico into a single free trade zone and was signed into law on December 8 by President [[Bill Clinton]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/09/us/clinton-signs-free-tradeagreement.html|title=Clinton Signs Free Trade Agreement|date=December 9, 1993|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

In 2009, Inouye assumed leadership of the powerful [[United States Senate Committee on Appropriations|Senate Committee on Appropriations]] after longtime chairman [[Robert Byrd]] stepped down. Following the latter's death on June 28, 2010, Inouye was elected [[President pro tempore of the United States Senate|President pro tempore]], the officer third in the [[United States presidential line of succession|presidential line of succession]].  Inouye was the highest an Asian American had reached in the line of succession until the Vice-Presidency of [[Kamala Harris]].

In 2010, Inouye announced his decision to run for a ninth term.<ref>{{cite news|last=Sample |first=Herbert A. |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011137740_aphisenateinouye1stldwritethru.html |title=Inouye to seek another Senate term |publisher=Seattletimes.nwsource.com |date=February 20, 2010 |access-date=July 2, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622040455/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011137740_aphisenateinouye1stldwritethru.html |archive-date=June 22, 2011}}</ref> He easily won the Democratic primary—the real contest in heavily Democratic Hawaii — and then won against Republican state representative [[Campbell Cavasso]] with 74 percent of the vote.

Inouye ran for [[Senate Majority Leader]] several times without success.<ref>{{cite news |title=Daniel Inouye Dead: Hawaii Senator Dies After Fight With Respiratory Complications |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/17/daniel-inouye-dead-dies_n_2316242.html |access-date=October 14, 2014 |publisher=Huffington Post |date=December 17, 2012}}</ref>

Prior to his death, Inouye announced that he planned to run for a record tenth term in 2016, when he would have been 92 years old.<ref name = seninouye>{{cite web |title=Sen. Daniel Inouye goes silent on big Hawaiian race |url=https://www.politico.com/news/stories/0411/53021_Page2.html |publisher=Politico |date=April 12, 2011 |author1=Manu Raju |author2=John Bresnahan}}</ref><ref name="The Maui News">{{cite web |last=Hamilton |first=Chris |title=Inouye has more he wants to do for (Hawaii Senator emphasizes need for Democrats to remain in control) |url=http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/564088/Inouye-has-more-he-wants-to-do-for-Hawaii.html?nav=10 |work=The Maui News |access-date=September 2, 2012}}</ref> Inouye also said,

{{blockquote|text=I have told my staff and I have told my family that when the time comes, when you question my sanity or question my ability to do things physically or mentally, I don't want you to hesitate, do everything to get me out of here, because I want to make certain the people of Hawaii get the best representation possible.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.khon2.com/news/local/story/Sen-Akaka-God-willing-I-Plan-to-Run-Again-in-2012/SawY7oCPAUWYz4rHaROnDw.cspx |title=Sen. Akaka: 'God willing, I Plan to Run Again in 2012' |date=April 26, 2010 |access-date=March 3, 2011 |work=[[KHON2]] |first=Ron |last=Mizutani |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713145454/http://www.khon2.com/news/local/story/Sen-Akaka-God-willing-I-Plan-to-Run-Again-in-2012/SawY7oCPAUWYz4rHaROnDw.cspx |archive-date=July 13, 2011 |df=mdy-all}}</ref>}}

At the time of his death in December 2012, Inouye was the second-longest-tenured U.S. senator in history (behind [[Robert Byrd]]).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2012/12/18/us/hawaiis-daniel-inouye-senates-second-longest-serving-member-dead-at-88|title=Hawaii’s Daniel Inouye, Senate’s second longest-serving member, dead at 88|date=December 18, 2012|website=CNN}}</ref> He served in the Senate for 49 years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/aloha-sen-daniel-inouye-hawaii-dies-88-flna1C7653653|title='Aloha': Sen. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii dies at 88|date=December 17, 2012|website=NBC News|last=Raftery|first=Isolde}}</ref>

===Foreign policy===
In early 1981, Inouye called for tighter restrictions on what Americans can ship overseas, citing his belief that American international stature would be harmed along with the country's foreign policy interests in the event of the shipments causing environmental damage.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/28/us/exports-of-waste-cause-concern.html|title=Exports of Waste Cause Concern|date=June 28, 1981|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

In March 1981, Inouye was one of 24 elected officials to issue a joint statement calling on the Reagan administration to compose a method of finding a peaceful solution that would end [[The Troubles]] in Northern Ireland.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/03/17/world/24-politicians-urge-us-role-in-ending-ulster-strife.html|title=24 Politicians Urge U.S. Role in Ending Ulster Strife|date=March 17, 1981|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

In July 1981, a Federal commission began hearings to decide on rewarding compensations to Japanese-Americans placed in internment camps during World War II, Inouye and fellow Hawaii Senator [[Spark M. Matsunaga]] delivering opening statements.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/07/15/us/hearings-start-on-internment-of-japanese-americans-in-42.html|title=Hearings Start on Internment of Japanese-Americans in '42|date=July 15, 1981|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> In November, during an appearance at the opening of a 10-day public forum at Tufts University on Japanese internment, Inouye stated his opposition to distributing reparation fees for Japanese-Americans previously incarcerated during World War II, adding that it "would be insulting even to try to do so."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/11/10/us/around-the-nation-nisei-reparations-fee-is-opposed-by-inouye.html|title=Nisei Reparations Fee Is Opposed by Inouye|date=November 10, 1981|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> In August 1988, Inouye attended President Reagan's signing of legislation apologizing for the internment camps and establishing a $1.25 billion trust fund to pay reparations to both those who were placed in camps and to their families.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/08/11/us/president-signs-law-to-redress-wartime-wrong.html|title=President Signs Law to Redress Wartime Wrong|date=August 11, 1988|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> In September 1989, during the Senate's debate over bestowing reparations to Japanese-Americans interned during World War II, Inouye delivered his first public speech on the issue and noted $22,000 were bestowed to each captive American in the [[Iran hostage crisis]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/09/30/us/senate-would-speed-reparations-to-survivors-of-internment-camps.html|title=Senate Would Speed Reparations To Survivors of Internment Camps|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=September 30, 1989}}</ref>

In October 2002, Inouye was one of 23 senators who voted against [[Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002|authorization of the use of military force in Iraq]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/onpolitics/transcripts/senaterollcall_iraq101002.htm|title=Senate Roll Call: Iraq Resolution|date=October 11, 2002|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref>

=== Domestic policy ===
In March 1982, amid controversy surrounding Democratic Senator [[Harrison A. Williams]]' taking bribes in the [[Abscam]] sting operation,<ref>{{cite web|last=Bachrach|first=Judy| url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20081347,00.html|title=Facing Expulsion from the Senate He Loves, Harrison Williams Finds Some Unlikely Supporters|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307205635/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20081347,00.html |archive-date=March 7, 2016| work=[[People (magazine)|People]]|date= February 1, 1982|quote="One of them, who asks for anonymity, recalls 'going over to Pete and Nancy's house in Westfield, N.J. and having coffee together. Pete looked about 80 years old—horrible.{{'"}}}}</ref> Inouye delivered a closing defense argument stating the possibility of the Senate looking foolish in the event the conviction was reversed on appeal. Inouye confirmed that he had received telephone calls regarding Williams critiquing his remarks during his defense of himself the previous week and questioned if the Senate was going to punish him "because his presentation was rambling, not in the tradition of [[Daniel Webster]]" and for his wife believing in him.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1982/03/11/almost-certain-expulsion-looms-today/25530cce-77e2-4496-ac68-9c266ca4e5ce/|title=Almost Certain Expulsion Looms Today|date=March 11, 1982|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref>

In October 1982, after President Reagan appointed two new members to the board of the Legal Services Corporation, Inouye was one of 32 Senators to sign a letter expressing grave concerns over the appointments.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/10/29/us/senators-protest-choices-by-reagan.html|title=Senators Protest Choices by Reagan|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=October 29, 1982 |last1=Jr |first1=Stuart Taylor}}</ref>

On December 23, Inouye voted against a five-cent-a-gallon increase in gasoline taxes across the U.S. imposed to aid the financing of highway repairs and mass transit.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/12/23/The-54-33-vote-by-which-the-Senate-gave-final/8101409467600/|title=The 54–33 vote by which the Senate gave final...|date=December 23, 1982|publisher=UPI}}</ref> The bill passed on the last day of the [[97th United States Congress]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/12/24/us/filibuster-cut-off-senate-votes-rise-in-gas-tax-54-to-33.html|title=Filibuster Cut Off, Senate Votes RIse in Gas Tax, 54 to 33|first=Martin|last=Tolchin|date=December 24, 1982|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1982/12/24/senate-passes-gas-tax-bill-closes-the-97th/0da388b7-388e-426f-aefe-d29b20622b12/|title=Senate Passes Gas-Tax Bill, Closes the 97th|date=December 24, 1982|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref>

In March 1984, Inouye voted against a constitutional amendment authorizing periods in public schools for silent prayer<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/03/16/us/senate-vote-on-school-prayer.html|title=Senate Vote on School Prayer|date=March 16, 1984|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> and against President Reagan's unsuccessful proposal for a constitutional amendment permitting organized school prayer in public schools.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/03/21/us/amendment-drive-on-school-prayer-loses-senate-vote.html|title=Amendment Drive on School Prayer Loses Senate Vote|date=March 21, 1984|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/03/21/us/senate-s-roll-call-on-school-prayer.html|title=Senate's Roll-Call on School Prayer|work=The New York Times |date=March 21, 1984}}</ref> In August, Inouye secured the acceptance of the Senate's defense appropriations subcommittee for an amendment meant to cure mainland milk arriving at Hawaiian and Alaskan military bases sour, arguing thousands of gallons of milk coming from the mainland must be dumped due to their souring and said shipments were arriving eight days after pasteurization.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/08/03/Sen-Daniel-Inouye-D-Hawaii-struck-a-blow-for-fresh/9078460353600/|title=Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, struck a blow for fresh...|date=August 3, 1984|publisher=UPI}}</ref>

In February 1989, after Oliver North went on trial in Federal District Court amid accusations that he illegally diverted profits from the secret sale of arms to Iran to the Nicaraguan rebels, [[Jack Brooks (American politician)|Jack Brooks]], then-chair of the [[House Oversight Committee]], questioned North's role in composing a "contingency plan in the event of an emergency that would suspend the American Constitution." Inouye replied that the inquiry touched on a classified and sensitive matter that would only be discussed in a closed session.<ref name="North Trial Opens After Long Delay">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/02/22/us/north-trial-opens-after-long-delay.html|title=North Trial Opens After Long Delay|date=February 22, 1989|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

====Gang of 14====
{{Main|Gang of 14}}

On May 23, 2005, Inouye was a member of a bipartisan group of 14 moderate senators, known as the [[Gang of 14]], to forge a compromise on the Democrats' use of the judicial [[filibuster]], thus blocking the Republican leadership's attempt to implement the "[[nuclear option]]", a means of forcibly ending a filibuster.<ref name="CNN.com 2005">{{cite web | title=Senators compromise on filibusters – May 24, 2005 | website=CNN.com | date=May 24, 2005 | url=http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/05/24/filibuster.fight/ | access-date=February 8, 2018}}</ref> Under the agreement, the Democrats would retain the power to filibuster a Bush judicial nominee only in an "extraordinary circumstance", and the three most conservative Bush [[appellate court]] nominees ([[Janice Rogers Brown]], [[Priscilla Owen]], and [[William H. Pryor Jr.]]) would receive a vote by the full U.S. Senate.<ref name="Lochhead 2005">{{cite web | last=Lochhead | first=Carolyn | title=Senate filibuster showdown averted / Compromise: 14 senators craft agreement to allow vote on some judicial nominees | website=SFGate | date=May 24, 2005 | url=https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Senate-filibuster-showdown-averted-COMPROMISE-2633034.php | access-date=February 8, 2018}}</ref>

==Electoral history==
{{Main|Electoral history of Daniel Inouye}}
Inouye never lost an election.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/medal-of-honor-recipient-daniel-inouye|title=Medal of Honor Recipient Daniel Inouye Led a Life of Service to His Country|website=The National WWII Museum |date=July 19, 2020 }}</ref> His closest race was in [[1992 United States Senate election in Hawaii|1992]], when state senator Rick Reed held Inouye to 57 percent of the vote; this was the only time he received less than 69 percent of the vote.{{cn|date=October 2025}}

==Family==
[[File:President John F. Kennedy with Daniel Inouye and his family in the West Wing Colonnade.jpg|thumb|The Inouyes visiting the [[White House]] in 1963. From left: Daniel, [[John F. Kennedy|President Kennedy]], Hyotaro (father), Maggie (wife), John, and Robert (brothers)]]
Inouye's first wife was Margaret "Maggie" Shinobu Awamura, who was working as a speech instructor at the University of Hawaii while Inouye was studying there. The two married on June 12, 1948 at the Harris Memorial Methodist Church in Honolulu{{sfn|Slavicek|2007|p=77}} and had a son, Ken.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/I/INOUYE,-Daniel-Ken-(I000025)/|title=INOUYE, Daniel Ken|website=history.house.gov|access-date=October 9, 2025}}</ref> Ken Inouye went on to become the guitarist for the [[hardcore punk]] band [[Marginal Man]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.goldsea.com/Personalities/Inspiring/inouye3.html |title=The 130 Most Inspiring Asian Americans of All Time - Daniel K. Inouye|website=goldsea.com|last=Kim|first=David|access-date=October 9, 2025}}</ref> Maggie Inouye died of cancer on March 13, 2006.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2006/Mar/13/br/br05p.html|title=Maggie Inouye, wife of U.S. Sen. Inouye, dead at 81 |website=the.honoluluadvertiser.com|date=March 13, 2006}}</ref> 

On May 24, 2008, Inouye married [[Irene Hirano]] in a private ceremony in [[Beverly Hills, California]]. Hirano was president and founding chief executive officer of the [[Japanese American National Museum]] in Los Angeles, California. She resigned the position at the time of her marriage in order to be closer to her husband.{{cn|date=October 2025}} Inouye was 24 years older than Hirano.<ref name="nyt">{{cite news|work=The New York Times|last=Seelye|first=Katharine Q.|title=Irene Inouye, 71, Fund-Raising Champion of Japanese-Americans, Dies|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/13/us/irene-inouye-dead.html|date=April 13, 2020|quote=Irene Ann Yasutake was born on Oct. 7, 1948, in Los Angeles.}}</ref> On May 27, 2010, Hirano was elected chair of the nation's second-largest non-profit organization, [[The Ford Foundation]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rafu.com/news/2010/06/hirano-inouye-ford-foundation/ |title=Irene Hirano Inouye to Chair Ford Foundation |publisher=Rafu.com |date=June 3, 2010 |access-date=August 29, 2010 |archive-date=July 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716022220/http://rafu.com/news/2010/06/hirano-inouye-ford-foundation/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> Hirano outlived Inouye by more than seven years; she died on April 7, 2020.<ref>{{cite news|url = https://apnews.com/aa1170426c48bb465190b7d9b6c1fff8|publisher=Associated Press|title = Irene Hirano Inouye, widow of U.S. senator from Hawaii, dies|last = McAvoy|first = Audrey|date = April 8, 2020|accessdate = April 9, 2020}}</ref>

==Alleged sexual misconduct==
In 1992, Inouye's hairdresser accused Inouye of rape.<ref name="cereal" /> Inouye denied the accusation.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=932&dat=19921018&id=9NlPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=rFMDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2268,2701402|title=Hairdresser goes public to tell her side of scandal involving senator|date=October 18, 1992|newspaper=[[The Kingman Daily Miner]]}}</ref> The allegation received national media attention.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/14/us/accusations-against-hawaii-senator-meet-a-silence-in-his-seat-of-power.html/|title= Accusations Against Hawaii Senator Meet a Silence in His Seat of Power|date=December 14, 1992|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.deseret.com/1992/12/6/19019941/do-smart-keep-silent-on-inouye-charges/|title=DO 'SMART KEEP SILENT' ON INOUYE CHARGES?|date=December 5, 1992|newspaper=[[Deseret News]]}}</ref> A Senate ethics committee review was dropped in 1993 over Inouye's accuser's lack of participation.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1993/04/08/inouye-review-dropped-by-senate-ethics-panel/3fbdb4c1-e860-48f5-8412-fc6af1384fd8/|title=INOUYE REVIEW DROPPED BY SENATE ETHICS PANEL|date=August 8, 1993|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref>

In 2014, two years after Inouye's death, U.S. Senator [[Kirsten Gillibrand]] wrote in her autobiography about a male colleague who squeezed her waist and commented: "Don't lose too much weight now. I like my girls chubby!" ''[[The New York Times]]'' identified Inouye as the senator referred to by Gillibrand, setting off national discussion of Inouye's past.<ref name="squeeze">Multiple sources:
*{{cite news|url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2014/09/22/?entry=86|title=Gillibrand's Weight Watcher Revealed, and a Presidential Nominee Is Sunk|date=September 22, 2014|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}
*{{cite news|url=https://jezebel.com/report-one-of-kirsten-gillibrands-harassers-was-senato-1637572108|title=Report: One of Kirsten Gillibrand's Harassers Was Senator Daniel Inouye|date=September 22, 2014|website=[[Jezebel (website)|Jezebel]]}}
*{{cite news|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2014/09/kirsten-gillibrand-daniel-inouye-111197|title=NYT: Inouye made Gillibrand quip|date=September 22, 2014|newspaper=[[Politico]]}}
*{{cite news|url=https://time.com/3418545/kirsten-gillibrand-daniel-inouye/|title=Gillibrand's Harasser Revealed as Late Hawaii Senator|author-first1=Jay|author-last1=Newton-Small|date=September 22, 2014|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]}}
*{{cite news |url=https://www.salon.com/2014/09/22/why_women_dont_name_names_kirsten_gillibrand_daniel_inouye_and_womens_calculus_for_survival/|title=Why women don't name names: Kirsten Gillibrand, Daniel Inouye and women's calculus for survival|date=September 22, 2014|website=[[Salon.com]]}}
*{{cite news|url=https://www.vox.com/2014/9/22/6827163/gillibrand-inouye-harassment-chubby|title=The senator who told Kirsten Gillibrand "I like my girls chubby" has been identified|date=September 22, 2014|website=[[Vox Media|Vox]]}}
</ref> 

In 2017, another woman alleged that Inouye had sexually harassed her.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.civilbeat.org/2017/11/denby-fawcett-would-dan-inouye-have-survived-1992-sex-allegations-today/|title=Denby Fawcett: Would Dan Inouye Have Survived 1992 Sex Allegations Today?|date=November 28, 2017|newspaper=[[Honolulu Civil Beat]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.civilbeat.org/2018/04/why-we-published-new-sexual-harassment-claims-about-dan-inouye/|title=Why We Published New Sexual Harassment Claims About Dan Inouye|date=April 3, 2018|newspaper=[[Honolulu Civil Beat]]}}</ref> A former staffer, the woman alleged that Inouye asked her to rub his shoulders, tried to put his hand on her leg, grabbed her hand, invited her to a late dinner in his room, requested she sit next to him on a bed, and tried to place his hand under her skirt. The woman asked to remain anonymous.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.civilbeat.org/2018/04/metoo-one-womans-story-of-sexual-harassment-by-hawaii-sen-dan-inouye/|title=#MeToo: One Woman's Story Of Sexual Harassment By Hawaii Sen. Dan Inouye|date=April 3, 2018|newspaper=[[Honolulu Civil Beat]]}}</ref>

Hawaii State Rep. [[Kaniela Ing]], who learned about the 1992 accusations through a [[PBS]] television program, questioned the 2016 decision to rename the [[Daniel K. Inouye International Airport|Honolulu International Airport]] after Inouye.<ref name="cereal">{{cite news|url=https://www.wtxl.com/syndication/congressional-candidate-calls-late-sen-inouye-an-accused-serial-rapist/article_460cbc1c-0f88-5ada-9a0c-5ae1d5748857.html|title=Congressional candidate calls late Sen. Inouye 'an accused serial rapist'|date=March 9, 2018|newspaper=[[WTXL-TV]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/37709453/decades-old-sexual-misconduct-allegations-against-inouye-have-resurfaced-what-now/|title=Decades-old sexual misconduct allegations against Inouye have resurfaced. What now?|date=March 12, 2018|newspaper=[[Hawaii News Now]]}}</ref>

==Honors==
[[File:Mazie Hirono with Irene Hirano.jpg|thumb|[[Irene Hirano|Irene Hirano Inouye]], with Senator [[Mazie Hirono]], after being presented with Inouye's posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013.]]
* Golden Plate Award of the [[Academy of Achievement|American Academy of Achievement]] in 1968.<ref>{{cite web|title= Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement |website=www.achievement.org|publisher=[[American Academy of Achievement]]|url= https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#public-service}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title= Daniel Inouye Biography and Interview |website=www.achievement.org|publisher=[[American Academy of Achievement]]|url= https://achievement.org/achiever/daniel-inouye/}}</ref>
*Grand Cross of the [[Philippine Legion of Honor]] in 1993.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.pressreader.com/philippines/philippine-daily-inquirer/20130225/281749856765587 |title=The Fight Continues |date=May 25, 2013 |first=Ramon J. |last=Farolan |newspaper=[[Philippine Daily Inquirer]] |via=PressReader |access-date=December 15, 2018}}</ref>
*On June 21, 2000, Inouye was presented the [[Medal of Honor]] by President Bill Clinton for his service during World War II.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/18/us/daniel-inouye-hawaiis-quiet-voice-of-conscience-in-senate-dies-at-88.html|title=Daniel Inouye, Hawaii's Quiet Voice of Conscience in Senate, Dies at 88|first=Robert D.|last=McFadden|newspaper=The New York Times|date=December 18, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.staradvertiser.com/2021/03/11/breaking-news/uss-daniel-inouye-another-step-closer-to-pearl-harbor-arrival/|title=USS Daniel Inouye another step closer to Pearl Harbor arrival|first=William|last=Cole|date=March 12, 2021|website=Honolulu Star-Advertiser}}</ref>
*In 2000, Inouye was awarded the Grand Cordon of the [[Order of the Rising Sun]] by the [[Emperor of Japan]] in recognition of his long and distinguished career in public service.<ref name=grandcordon>{{cite web|access-date=October 5, 2010 |url=http://inouye.senate.gov/Who_is_Dan/Awards.cfm |title=Daniel Inouye, Senate |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101007051406/http://inouye.senate.gov/Who_is_Dan/Awards.cfm |archive-date=October 7, 2010}}</ref>
*In 2006, the [[U.S. Navy Memorial]] awarded Inouye its [[Lone Sailor Award|Naval Heritage award]] for his support of the U.S. Navy and the military during his terms in the Senate.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.navymemorial.org/previous-lone-sailor-award-recipients/ |title=Lone Sailor Award Recipients |website=United States Navy Memorial |language=en-US |access-date=December 15, 2018}}</ref>
*Grand Cross (''Bayani'') of the [[Order of Lakandula]] on August 14, 2006.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/the-order-of-lakandula/ |title=Order of Lakandula |publisher=Gov.ph |access-date=December 30, 2012 |archive-date=January 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180114114624/http://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/the-order-of-lakandula/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*In 2007, Inouye was personally inducted as a Chevalier of the [[Legion of Honor]] by [[President of France]] [[Nicolas Sarkozy]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://townhall.com/photos/2007/11/06/frances_president_sarkozy_awards_us_senator_inouye_with_the_legion_of_honour_medal_in_washington |title=France's President Sarkozy awards US Senator Inouye with the Legion of Honour medal in Washington |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150130132859/http://townhall.com/photos/2007/11/06/frances_president_sarkozy_awards_us_senator_inouye_with_the_legion_of_honour_medal_in_washington |archive-date=January 30, 2015 |date=November 6, 2007 |website=Townhall |agency=Reuters |access-date=December 15, 2018}}</ref>
*In February 2009, a bill was introduced in the [[House of Representatives of the Philippines|Philippine House of Representatives]] by Rep. [[Antonio Diaz (Filipino politician)|Antonio Diaz]] seeking to confer honorary [[Philippines|Filipino]] citizenship on Inouye, Senators [[Ted Stevens]] and [[Daniel Akaka]], and Representative [[Bob Filner]] for their role in securing the passage of [[Filipino American#World War II veteran benefits|benefits for Filipino World War II veterans]].<ref>{{cite news|author=Leila Salaverria |title=4 U.S. solons as honorary Filipinos |newspaper=[[Philippine Daily Inquirer]] |url=http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20090224-190786/4-US-solons-as-honorary-Filipinos |date=February 24, 2009 |access-date=March 20, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227074635/http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20090224-190786/4-US-solons-as-honorary-Filipinos |archive-date=February 27, 2009}}</ref>
*In June 2011, Inouye was appointed a Grand Cordon of the [[Order of the Paulownia Flowers]], the highest Japanese honor which may be conferred upon a foreigner who is not a head of state. Only the seventh American to be so honored, he is also the first American of Japanese descent to receive it. The conferment of the order was "to recognize his continued significant and unprecedented contributions to the enhancement of goodwill and understanding between Japan and the United States."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hawaii247.com/2011/06/22/grand-cordon-of-the-order-of-the-paulownia-flowers-for-inouye/ |title='Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers' for Inouye |publisher=Hawaii 24/7 |date=June 22, 2011 |access-date=December 18, 2012}}</ref>
*In 2011, Philippine president [[Benigno Aquino III]] conferred [[Order of Sikatuna]] upon Inouye. He had previously been awarded [[Order of Lakandula]] and a [[Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.philippineembassy-usa.org/news/3019/300/Philippines-Mourns-Death-of-Senator-Inouye/d,phildet/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130415223653/http://www.philippineembassy-usa.org/news/3019/300/Philippines-Mourns-Death-of-Senator-Inouye/d,phildet/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=April 15, 2013 |title=Philippines Mourns Death of Senator Inouye |publisher=Philippineembassy-usa.org |date=December 17, 2012 |access-date=December 30, 2012}}</ref>
*Inouye was inducted as an honorary member of the [[Navajo Nation]] and titled "The Leader Who Has Returned With a Plan".<ref>{{cite web |first=Andrew|last=Taylor|agency=Associated Press |url=http://m.utsandiego.com/news/2012/dec/17/sen-daniel-inouye-of-hawaii-dead-at-88/ |title=Sen. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii dead at 88 |publisher=M.utsandiego.com |date=December 17, 2012 |access-date=December 30, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714223701/http://m.utsandiego.com/news/2012/dec/17/sen-daniel-inouye-of-hawaii-dead-at-88/ |archive-date=July 14, 2014}}</ref>
*On August 8, 2013, Inouye was posthumously awarded the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] by President [[Barack Obama]]. The citation in the press release reads as follows:
::Daniel Inouye was a lifelong public servant. As a young man, he fought in World War II with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, for which he received the Medal of Honor. He was later elected to the Hawaii Territorial House of Representatives, the United States House of Representatives, and the United States Senate. Senator Inouye was the first Japanese American to serve in Congress, representing the people of Hawaii from the moment they joined the Union.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2013/08/08/president-obama-names-presidential-medal-freedom-recipients|title=President Obama Names Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients|publisher=Office of the Press Secretary, The White House|date=August 8, 2013|access-date=August 8, 2013}}</ref>

===Awards and decorations===
[[File:InouyeClinton.png|thumb|President [[Bill Clinton]] presenting the [[Medal of Honor]] to Senator Inouye in 2000]]
On May 27, 1947, Inouye was honorably discharged and returned home as a Captain with a Distinguished Service Cross, Bronze Star Medal, two Purple Hearts, and 12 other medals and citations. In 2000, his Distinguished Service Cross was upgraded to the Medal of Honor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.asianamerican.net/bios/Inouye-Daniel.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030624173942/http://www.asianamerican.net/bios/Inouye-Daniel.html |url-status=usurped |archive-date=June 24, 2003 |title=Inouye military biography |publisher=Asianamerican.net |access-date=December 18, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.armyhistory.org/ahf.aspx?pgID=949&newsID=19&exCompID=112|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100706184047/http://www.armyhistory.org/ahf.aspx?pgID=949&newsID=19&exCompID=112|url-status=dead|title=Inouye Combat Infantryman Badge|archive-date=July 6, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title= Golden Dreams: California in an Age of Abundance, 1950–1963|last= Starr|first= Kevin|year= 2009|publisher= Oxford University Press|location= New York, NY|isbn= 978-0199924301|page= 438|access-date=June 12, 2012|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=kvkNf-HZTt4C&q=Daniel+Inouye+Combat+Infantryman+Badge&pg=PA438}}</ref>

[[File:Combat Infantry Badge.svg|200px|center]]

{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|colspan="4"|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Medal of Honor ribbon.svg|width=106}} {{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Bronze Star Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}} 
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=1|type=oak|ribbon=Purple Heart ribbon.svg|width=106}} 
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Presidential Medal of Freedom (ribbon).svg|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=3|type=service-star|ribbon=European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=World War II Victory Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=PHI Order of Lakandula Grand Cross BAR.svg|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=PHL Order of Sikatuna - Grand Cross BAR.png|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=PHL Legion of Honor - Chief Commander BAR.png|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=JPN Kyokujitsu-sho Paulownia BAR.svg|width=106}}
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=JPN Kyokujitsu-sho 1Class BAR.svg|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Legion Honneur Chevalier ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Chief of Staff Medal of Appreciation - ISRAEL.svg|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Presidential Unit Citation (Philippines).svg|width=106}}
|-
|} 
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
| colspan="17"|[[Combat Infantryman Badge]]
|-
!1st row
| colspan="8"|[[Medal of Honor]]
| colspan="8"|[[Bronze Star Medal]]
|-
!2nd row
| colspan="4"|[[Purple Heart]] (with [[oak leaf cluster]])
| colspan="4"|[[Presidential Medal of Freedom]]
| colspan="4"|[[European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal]]<br />(with three service stars: [[Battle of Monte Cassino|Rome]]–[[Trasimene Line|Arno]], [[Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine|Rhineland]] and [[Gothic Line|Northern Apennines]] campaigns)<br />
| colspan="4"|[[World War II Victory Medal]]
|-
!3rd row
| colspan="4"|Grand Cross of the [[Order of Lakandula]]<br />(Philippines)
| colspan="4"|Grand Cross of the [[Order of Sikatuna]]<br />(Philippines)
| colspan="4"|Chief Commander of the<br />[[Philippine Legion of Honor|Legion of Honor]]<br />(Philippines)
| colspan="4"|Grand Cordon of the [[Order of the Paulownia Flowers]] (Japan)
|-
!4th row
| colspan="4"|Grand Cordon of the [[Order of the Rising Sun]] (Japan)
| colspan="4"|Chevalier of the [[Legion of Honour|Légion d'honneur]] (France)
| colspan="4"|[[Chief of Staff Medal of Appreciation]] (Israel)
| colspan="4"|[[Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation]]
|}

==Death==
[[File:121223-F-MQ656-551 (8314416085).jpg|thumb|A joint military honor guard folds a U.S. flag over Inouye's casket at the National Memorial Cemetery.]]

After experiencing health and mobility problems in 2012,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kitv.com/news/hawaii/Sen-Inouye-hospitalized-to-regulate-oxygen-intake/-/8905354/17723918/-/item/0/-/oiycvoz/-/index.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130127153347/http://www.kitv.com/news/hawaii/Sen-Inouye-hospitalized-to-regulate-oxygen-intake/-/8905354/17723918/-/item/0/-/oiycvoz/-/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 27, 2013 |title=Sen. Inouye hospitalized to regulate oxygen intake |publisher=Kitv.com |date=December 10, 2012 |access-date=December 18, 2012}}</ref> Inouye was hospitalized at [[George Washington University Hospital]] on December 6, 2012 so doctors could regulate his oxygen intake. He was transferred to Walter Reed Medical Center four days later and died there of respiratory complications on December 17, 2012.<ref>{{cite web|last=Blair |first=Chad |url=http://www.civilbeat.com/articles/2012/12/14/17895-is-hawaii-sen-dan-inouye-on-the-mend-no-one-will-say/ |title=Is Hawaii Sen. Dan Inouye On The Mend? No One Will Say – Honolulu Civil Beat |publisher=Civilbeat.com |date=December 14, 2012 |access-date=December 18, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Hawaii Sen. Daniel Inouye dies at age 88|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2012/12/17/hawaii-sen-daniel-inouye-dies-at-age-88/|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=December 17, 2012}}</ref> According to the senator's Congressional website, his last word was "[[Aloha]]."<ref>{{cite web|title=Statement on the passing of Senator Daniel K Inouye |url=http://www.inouye.senate.gov/news/press-releases/statement-on-the-passing-of-senator-daniel-k-inouye |publisher=United States Congress |access-date=December 17, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121218171524/http://www.inouye.senate.gov/news/press-releases/statement-on-the-passing-of-senator-daniel-k-inouye |archive-date=December 18, 2012}}</ref> 

Senate Majority Leader [[Harry Reid]] announced Inouye's death on the floor of the Senate, referring to Inouye as "certainly one of the giants of the Senate." Senate Minority Leader [[Mitch McConnell]] referred to Inouye as one of the finest Senators in United States history. Sen. [[Daniel Akaka]] of Hawaii called Inouye "'the man who changed the islands forever'" and "'a true patriot and an American hero in every sense'".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2012/12/daniel-inouye-dead-85201.html |title=Daniel Inouye dies |website=Politico |last=Nocera |first=Kate |date=December 17, 2012 |access-date=December 18, 2012}}</ref> President [[Barack Obama]] referred to him as a "true American hero".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2012/12/17/statement-president-passing-senator-daniel-inouye |title=Statement by the President on the Passing of Senator Daniel Inouye |date=December 17, 2012 |via=[[NARA|National Archives]] |work=[[whitehouse.gov]] |access-date=December 18, 2012}}</ref>

Inouye's body [[Lying in state|lay in state]] at the [[United States Capitol rotunda]] on December 20, 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aoc.gov/nations-stage/lying-state-honor |title= Lying in State or in Honor |publisher=US Architect of the Capitol (AOC) |access-date=September 1, 2018}}</ref> President Obama, former president [[Bill Clinton]], Vice President [[Joe Biden]], House speaker [[John Boehner]] and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid spoke at a funeral service at the [[Washington National Cathedral]] the following day. Inouye's body was then flown to Hawaii where it lay in state at the [[Hawaii State Capitol]] on December 22. A second funeral service was held at the [[National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific]] in Honolulu the following day.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kitv.com/news/hawaii/Funeral-services-set-for-Sen-Inouye/-/8905354/17823144/-/p1yxdhz/-/index.html |title=Funeral services set for Sen. Inouye; viewing at U.S. Capitol followed by national then local services |publisher=Kitv.com |date=December 18, 2012 |access-date=December 30, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113032836/http://www.kitv.com/news/hawaii/Funeral-services-set-for-Sen-Inouye/-/8905354/17823144/-/p1yxdhz/-/index.html |archive-date=November 13, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=73050|title=US President pays tribute to Hawaii's Daniel Inouye|date=December 21, 2012|publisher=Radio New Zealand International|access-date=December 22, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/12/21/167799676/sen-daniel-inouye-remembered-as-quiet-inspiration|title=Sen. Daniel Inouye Remembered As Quiet Inspiration|last=Neuman|first=Scott|date=December 21, 2012|newspaper=NPR|access-date=December 22, 2012}}</ref>

==Legacy==
[[File:Daniel K Inouye International Airport exhibit 2024.jpg|thumb|Exhibit on Inouye at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport]]
The ''Daniel K. Inouye Graduate School of Nursing'', founded in 1993, became part of the [[Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=GSN, Home|url=https://nursing.usuhs.edu/home|access-date=2022-01-03|website=nursing.usuhs.edu}}</ref>

Inouye made a cameo appearance as himself in the 1994 film ''[[The Next Karate Kid]]'', giving the opening speech at [[Arlington National Cemetery]] for a commendation for [[Japanese-Americans]] who fought in the [[442nd Infantry Regiment (United States)|442nd Regimental Combat Team]] during [[World War II]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1994/vp940915/09150055.htm|title=FEMININE ''KARATE KID'' IS HEAVY-HANDED|website=scholar.lib.vt.edu}}</ref>

In 2001, the [[Forest Glen Annex]] at [[Fort Detrick]] in [[Silver Spring, Maryland]] dedicated building 503 as the ''Daniel K. Inouye Building'', built to house the [[Walter Reed Army Institute of Research]] (WRAIR) and the [[Naval Medical Research Center]] (NMRC).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Pierce |first1=John R. |title=History - Walter Reed |url=https://www.walterreedsociety.org/legacy_of_walter_reed/history.aspx |website=Walter Reed Society |access-date=9 June 2023}}</ref>

In 2007, [[The Citadel]] dedicated ''[[Inouye Marksmanship Center|Inouye Hall]]'' at the Citadel/South Carolina Army National Guard Marksmanship Center to Senator Inouye, who helped make the Center possible.<ref>{{cite web |title=Inouye Hall to be dedicated |url=https://www.citadel.edu/root/inouye-hall-to-be-dedicated |website=citadel.edu |date=February 2, 2007 |access-date=June 13, 2020 |archive-date=June 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200613212606/https://www.citadel.edu/root/inouye-hall-to-be-dedicated |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In May 2013, Secretary of the Navy [[Ray Mabus]] announced the next {{sclass|Arleigh Burke|destroyer|2}} would be named ''{{USS|Daniel Inouye|DDG-118}}''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=74367|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130606072652/http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=74367|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 6, 2013|title=Navy Names Next Two Destroyers|website=www.navy.mil}}</ref> The destroyer was officially christened at Bath Iron Works on June 22, 2019.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sharp |first1=David |title=Widow of hero Inouye christens warship bearing his name |url=https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2019/06/22/widow-of-hero-inouye-christens-warship-bearing-his-name/ |agency=Associated Press |publisher=Navy Times |date=June 22, 2019}}</ref>

In November 2013, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association renamed its Trailblazer Award in honor of Inouye, posthumously honoring him with the ''Senator Daniel K. Inouye NAPABA Trailblazer Award''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ahmad |first1=Azizah |title=NAPABA BESTOWS SPECIAL HONORS AT 25TH ANNUAL CONVENTION |url=https://www.napaba.org/page/prawards111213/NAPABA-BESTOWS-SPECIAL-HONORS-AT-25TH-ANNUAL-CONVENTION.htm |website=napaba.org}}</ref>

In December 2013, the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope at [[Haleakala Observatory]] on [[Maui]] was renamed the ''[[Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Solar Telescope Named for Late Senator Inouye|url=http://www.nso.edu/DKIST|publisher=[[National Solar Observatory]]|access-date=October 21, 2015|date=December 16, 2013}}</ref>

Numerous federal properties at [[Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam]] and around Hawai'i have been dedicated to Senator Inouye, including the [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] ''Daniel K. Inouye Regional Center'' (2013),<ref>{{cite news |last1=Manahane |first1=Sila |title=NOAA IRC Dedication at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii |url=https://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=78369 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227021050/http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=78369 |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 27, 2013 |agency=Naval Facilities Engineering Command Hawaii |publisher=US Navy |date=December 19, 2013}}</ref> the [[Hawaii Air National Guard]] ''Daniel K. Inouye Fighter Squadron Operations & Aircraft Maintenance Facility'' (2014),<ref>{{cite web |title=Daniel K. Inouye Fighter Squadron Operations & Aircraft Maintenance Facility |url=https://www.burnsmcd.com/projects/daniel-k-inouye-fighter-squadron |website=Burns McDonnell |access-date=June 13, 2020 |archive-date=June 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200613214724/https://www.burnsmcd.com/projects/daniel-k-inouye-fighter-squadron |url-status=dead }}</ref> the ''Senator Daniel K. Inouye'' [[Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency]] building (2015),<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lange |first1=Katie |title=State-of-the-Art Lab Helps Identify Lost Service Members |url=https://www.pacom.mil/Media/News/article/628581/state-of-the-art-lab-helps-identify-lost-service-members/ |agency=US Pacific Command |date=November 10, 2015}}</ref> the ''Daniel K. Inouye [[Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies]]'' at Fort Derussy (2015),<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gill |first1=Lorin Eleni |title=Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies renamed for Hawaii Sen. Inouye |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/news/2015/10/07/asia-pacific-center-for-security-studies-renamed.html |agency=Pacific Business News |date=October 9, 2015}}</ref> and the [[Pacific Missile Range Facility]] ''Daniel K. Inouye Range and Operations Center'' on Kauai (2016).<ref>{{cite news |last1=Purdy |first1=Robert |title=PMRF Range and Operations Center named for late Sen. Daniel K. Inouye |url=http://www.hookelenews.com/pmrf-range-and-operations-center-named-for-late-sen-daniel-k-inouye/ |agency=hookelenews.com |date=July 29, 2016 |access-date=June 13, 2020 |archive-date=June 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200613214605/http://www.hookelenews.com/pmrf-range-and-operations-center-named-for-late-sen-daniel-k-inouye/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2014, Israel named the simulator room of the [[Arrow (Israeli missile)|Arrow]] anti-missile defense system in his honor, the first time that a military facility has been named after a foreign national.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-to-name-arrow-facility-for-inouye/ |title=Arrow facility to be named for pro-Israel senator |date=January 6, 2014 |work=The Times of Israel |access-date=December 15, 2018 |language=en-US}}</ref>

A [[Boeing C-17 Globemaster III]], tail number 5147, of the [[535th Airlift Squadron]], was dedicated ''Spirit of Daniel Inouye'' on August 20, 2014.<ref>{{cite news|title=Hickam C-17 dedicated in honor of late Sen. Daniel Inouye |url=https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/494633/hickam-c-17-dedicated-in-honor-of-late-sen-daniel-inouye/ |agency=15th Wing Public Affairs Office |publisher=US Air Force |date=August 24, 2014}}</ref>

The Parade Field at [[Fort Benning]], Georgia was rededicated to honor Senator Inouye on September 12, 2014.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ft. Benning Parade Field rededicated to honor WWII Medal of Honor recipient |url=https://www.wtvm.com/story/26518371/ft-benning-parade-field-re-dedication-ceremony/ |agency=wtvm.com |date=September 12, 2014}}</ref>

On April 27, 2017, Honolulu's airport was renamed ''[[Daniel K. Inouye International Airport]]'' in his honor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://khon2.com/2017/04/28/honolulu-airport-renamed-after-late-sen-daniel-inouye/|title=Honolulu airport renamed after late Sen. Daniel Inouye|date=April 29, 2017|website=khon2.com|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-date=May 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170517120942/http://khon2.com/2017/04/28/honolulu-airport-renamed-after-late-sen-daniel-inouye/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2018, Honolulu-based [[Matson, Inc.]] named its newest container ship, the largest built in the United States, the ''Daniel K. Inouye''.<ref>{{cite web |title=New Matson Vessel Is Largest Container ship Ever Built in U.S. |url=https://www.ttnews.com/articles/new-matson-vessel-largest-containership-ever-built-us |website=Transport Topics |access-date=June 12, 2019 |language=en |date=November 29, 2018}}</ref>

The [[University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo]] dedicated its pharmacy college the ''Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy (DKICP)'' on December 4, 2019.<ref>{{cite news |title=UH Hilo College of Pharmacy building dedicated |url=https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2019/12/04/uh-hilo-dkicp-building-dedicated/ |agency=University of Hawa'ii News |date=December 4, 2019}}</ref>

In August 2021, while visiting Japan for the Tokyo Olympics, First Lady [[Jill Biden]] dedicated a room in the [[Embassy of the United States, Tokyo|U.S. ambassador's residence]] to Inouye and his wife, Irene.<ref>{{cite web |title=First lady Jill Biden praises late Hawaii Sen. Daniel Inouye and his wife at Japan dedication |url=https://www.staradvertiser.com/2021/07/23/breaking-news/first-lady-jill-biden-praises-late-hawaii-sen-daniel-inouye-and-his-wife-at-japan-dedication/ |website=Star Advertiser |date=July 24, 2021 |access-date=August 8, 2021}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Hawaii}}
* [[List of Asian American Medal of Honor recipients for World War II]]
* [[List of Asian Americans in the United States Congress]]
* [[List of members of the United States Congress who died in office (2000–present)#2010s]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{Refbegin}}
*{{Cite book |last=Slavicek |first=Louise Chipley |title=Daniel Inouye |date=2007 |publisher=Chelsea House |isbn=978-0-7910-9271-2 |location=New York |oclc=71004145}}
{{Refend}}

==Further reading==
*Winston, Mitch. ''Senator Daniel Inouye: WW II Hero and America Finest Senator'' (2022), Democrat of Hawaii

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[https://dkii.org/ Daniel K. Inouye Institute]
*{{CongLinks|congbio=i000025|votesmart=53285|fec=S4HI00011}}
*{{C-SPAN|2568}}

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{{s-ttl|title=Keynote Speaker of the [[Democratic National Convention]]|years=[[1968 Democratic National Convention|1968]]}}
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{{s-ttl|title=Chair of the [[Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee]]|years=1969–1971}}
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{{s-break}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Frank Moss (politician)|Ted Moss]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[United States Senate Democratic Conference Secretary|Secretary of the Senate Democratic Conference]]|years=1977–1989}}
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{{s-ttl|title=[[List of United States Senators from Hawaii|United States Senator (Class 3) from Hawaii]]|years=1963–2012|alongside=[[Hiram Fong]], [[Spark Matsunaga]], [[Daniel Akaka]]}}
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{{s-break}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Frank Church]]|as=Chair of the [[Church Committee]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Chair of the [[United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence|Senate Intelligence Committee]]|years=1976–1978}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Birch Bayh]]}}
{{s-break}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Mark Andrews (politician)|Mark Andrews]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Chair of the [[United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs|Senate Indian Affairs Committee]]|years=1987–1995}}
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{{s-break}}
{{s-new|office}}
{{s-ttl|title=Chair of the [[Congressional committees investigating the Iran–Contra affair|Senate Iran-Contra Committee]]|years=1987}}
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{{s-break}}
{{s-bef|before=[[John Melcher]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Ranking Member of the [[United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs|Senate Indian Affairs Committee]]|years=1995–2001}}
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{{s-break}}
{{s-bef|rows=2|before=[[Ben Nighthorse Campbell|Ben Campbell]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Chair of the [[United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs|Senate Indian Affairs Committee]]|years=2001–2003}}
{{s-break}}
{{s-ttl|title=Ranking Member of the [[United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs|Senate Indian Affairs Committee]]|years=2003–2005}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Byron Dorgan]]}}
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{{s-ttl|title=Chair of the [[United States Senate Committee on Appropriations|Senate Appropriations Committee]]|years=2009–2012}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Inouye, Daniel}}
[[Category:Daniel Inouye|*]]
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