Japanese Immigrants Assembly Hall Hilo 40090628 2000c1f2ae

The Japanese in Hawaii (simply Japanese or “Local Japanese”, rarely Kepanī) are the second largest ethnic group in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

. At their height in 1920, they constituted 43% of Hawaii's population. They now number about 16.7% of the islands' population, according to the

2000 U.S. Census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 cen ...

. The U.S. Census categorizes mixed-race individuals separately, so the proportion of people with some Japanese ancestry is likely much larger.

History

Contact before 1778

Final voyage of the ''Inawaka-maru''

The first known arrival of Japanese to the

Kingdom of Hawaii The Hawaiian Kingdom, or Kingdom of Hawaiʻi ( Hawaiian: ''Ko Hawaiʻi Pae ʻĀina''), was a sovereign state located in the Hawaiian Islands. The country was formed in 1795, when the warrior chief Kamehameha the Great, of the independent island ...

after Hawaiian contact with James Cook came on May 5, 1806, involving survivors of the ill-fated ship ''Inawaka-maru'' who had been adrift aboard their disabled ship for more than seventy days. The ''Inawaka-maru'', a small cargo ship built in 1798 in

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

, was owned by Mansuke Motoya. The ''Inawaka-maru'' started its final voyage from

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui h ...

to Edo (modern

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

) on November 7, 1805. The ship had been chartered by the

Kikkawa clan The was a prominent samurai clan of Japan's Sengoku period. The most famous member of the clan is likely Kikkawa Motoharu (1530-1586), one of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's generals, who was adopted into the family. Along with the Kobayakawa clan, the ...

to deliver mats, horse feed, and two passengers, Kikkawa officials. Her crew consisted of Captain Niinaya Ginzo, Master Ichiko Sadagoro, Sailors Hirahara Zenmatsu, Akazaki Matsujiro, Yumori Kasoji, and Wasazo, a total of eight aboard. The ''Inawaka-maru'' had to turn back, and restarted her journey on November 27. She arrived in Edo on December 21, started back to her home port stopping in

Kanagawa is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...

, Uraga, and Shimoda, and left on her final leg – from Shimoda across the

Enshū Sea Enshū Sea () is the sea area from Cape Irōzaki in Shizuoka Prefecture to Cape Daiō in Mie Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Mie Prefecture has a population of 1,781,948 () and has a geographic ar ...

– on January 6, 1806. The ''Inawaka-maru'' was caught by a snowstorm that turned to rain and winds battered the ship eastward into the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

. On January 7 the crew cut down the mast because of the strong winds. On January 11 two rocky islands were sighted but no attempt was made toward them. These would be the last land before the Hawaiian Islands. On January 20 the water stores were empty, but the men collected rain water to survive. On February 28 the rice provisions ran out. On March 15 a flying fish landed in the ship and the men fished to sustain themselves. On March 20 the ''Tabour'', an American ship Captained by Cornelius Sole, rescued the men of the ''Inawaka-maru''. He found them begging for food by gesturing to their stomachs, mouths and bowing, found the galley empty, and understood their ordeal. He had the possessions of the survivors brought aboard his ship and salvaged parts and items aboard ''Inawaka-maru''. Captain Sole had the survivors fed, over a span of five days, small portions to a progression to three normal meals a day, the remedy for starvation. On May 5, 1806, the ''Tabour'' docked in

Oahu Oahu () (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering place#Island of Oʻahu as The Gathering Place, Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over t ...

, Hawaii. Captain Sole left the eight Japanese in the care of King

Kamehameha I Kamehameha I (; Kalani Paiea Wohi o Kaleikini Kealiikui Kamehameha o Iolani i Kaiwikapu kaui Ka Liholiho Kūnuiākea; – May 8 or 14, 1819), also known as Kamehameha the Great, was the conqueror and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii. Th ...

. Captain Sole also left the anchor of the ''Inawaka-maru'', 40 axes, and other items as payment for the Kingdom's hospitality. The King delegated the responsibility for the Japanese to

Kalanimoku William Pitt Kalanimoku or Kalaimoku ( – February 7, 1827) was a High Chief who functioned similarly to a prime minister of the Hawaiian Kingdom during the reigns of Kamehameha I, Kamehameha II and the beginning of the reign of Kamehameha III. ...

who had 50 men construct a house on May 6 for the Japanese. It took four days to build and a cook and two guards assigned to the house, which attracted crowds to these men of a different ethnicity. On August 17 the Japanese left Hawaii aboard the ''Perseverance'' to

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...

on October 17. From there they took a Chinese ship to

Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...

on December 25. In Jakarta they fell ill and five died there or on the voyage to

Nagasaki is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. It became the sole port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hidden Christian Sites in the ...

where they arrived on June 17, 1807, where another died. At the time of the

Sakoku was the Isolationism, isolationist Foreign policy of Japan, foreign policy of the Japanese Tokugawa shogunate under which, for a period of 265 years during the Edo period (from 1603 to 1868), relations and trade between Japan and other countri ...

it was illegal to leave Japan and the remaining two survivors were jailed and interrogated. One committed suicide and the remaining survivor Hirahara Zenmatsu eventually made it home November 29, 1807 but was summoned by

Asano Narikata Asano Narikata (November 5, 1773 – January 4, 1831) was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Edo period, who ruled the Hiroshima Domain. His childhood name was Jinnosuke (時之丞) later Zenjirō (善次郎). Family * Father: Asano Shigeakira * Mother ...

, The Daimyō of Hiroshima, to recount his odyssey of an experience titled ''Iban Hyoryu Kikokuroku Zenmatsu''. Hirahara Zenmatsu died six months later.

Gannenmono

In 1866, Eugene Miller Van Reed, a Dutch American, went to Japan as a representative of the

Hawaiian Kingdom The Hawaiian Kingdom, or Kingdom of Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Ko Hawaiʻi Pae ʻĀina''), was a sovereign state located in the Hawaiian Islands. The country was formed in 1795, when the warrior chief Kamehameha the Great, of the ...

. He failed to establish a formal Hawaii-Japan relationship, but continued to stay there as a merchant and obtained a permission of Japanese emigration from the

Edo Shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedi ...

. As he started recruiting, the new

Meiji Government The was the government that was formed by politicians of the Satsuma Domain and Chōshū Domain in the 1860s. The Meiji government was the early government of the Empire of Japan. Politicians of the Meiji government were known as the Meiji o ...

that came into power in 1867, the first year of the

Meiji period The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

, nullified all the Edo Shogunate's treaties. (One of the reasons of the new government's rejection is said to be the rumor that Van Reed was engaged in

slave trade Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

. For example,

Korekiyo Takahashi Viscount was a Japanese politician who served as a member of the House of Peers, as Prime Minister of Japan from 1921 to 1922, and as the head of the Bank of Japan and Ministry of Finance. Takahashi made many contributions to Japan's developm ...

, whose study in the U.S. was arranged by Van Reed, ended up being sold by the host family as a

slave Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

, but managed to get back to Japan, and eventually became the 20th

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

.) Van Reed, however, proceeded without the new government's permission to send 153 Japanese to Hawaii to work on the sugar plantations. They sailed from

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

to Honolulu from May 17 to June 19, 1868, on the ''Scioto''. This first official group of Japanese immigrants were called the Gannenmono ( ja, 元年者), meaning the "people of the first year (of the Meiji period)", and the 150th anniversary of their arrival was celebrated in Hawaii in 2018. There were 142 men and 6 women in this initial group, so many of them married Hawaiians after they arrived in Hawaii. They worked on sugar plantations on Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and Lanai. Two or three months after arriving, many complained of contract violations since the working conditions and pay did not match with what they were promised. At least four of the six women and 50 men returned to Japan in 1870. Seven had died before their contracts ended. Among the Gannenmono were several people who would become legends among the Japanese Americans in Hawaii: Tomitarō Makino from

Miyagi Miyagi may refer to: Places * Miyagi Prefecture, one of the 47 major divisions of Japan * Miyagi, Gunma, a village in Japan, merged into Maebashi in 2004 *Miyagi District, Miyagi, a district in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan Other uses * Miyagi (surna ...

, the leader of the group; the youngest Ichigorō Ishimura, 13 years old; Sentarō Ishii, a

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

from Okayama, who was 102 years old when he died in Maui; Tokujirō "Toko" Satō from Tokyo, who lived in

Waipio Valley Waipio Valley is a valley located in the Hamakua District of the Big Island of Hawaii. "Waipio" means "curved water" in the Hawaiian language. The valley was the capital and permanent residence of many early Hawaiian Aliʻi (chiefs/kings) up ...

with his Hawaiian wife, Clara; and Tarō Andō, who would become Japan's first consul general to the Kingdom of Hawaii.

Subsequent immigration

Between 1869 and 1885 Japan barred emigration to Hawaii in fear that Japanese laborers would be degrading to the reputation of the Japanese race. In 1881 King David Kalākaua visited Japan to strengthen relations between the two nations. Kalākaua offered not to request

extraterritoriality In international law, extraterritoriality is the state of being exempted from the jurisdiction of local law, usually as the result of diplomatic negotiations. Historically, this primarily applied to individuals, as jurisdiction was usually cla ...

of Japan, an act that departed from the norm of western nations. On March 10 Kalakaua met Meiji to propose a marriage between Princess Victoria Kaiulani and

Prince Higashifushimi Yorihito was the second (and last) head of the Higashifushimi-no-miya, an '' ōke'' cadet branch of the Japanese imperial family. Early life Born on September 19, 1867, as seventeenth (and posthumous) son of Prince Fushimi Kuniie, head of the Fushimi- ...

. A few days later the proposal was denied, but the ban on immigration was eventually lifted in 1885. The first 153 Japanese immigrants arrived in Hawaii on February 8, 1885, as contract laborers for the

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...

and pineapple plantations. Many more Japanese immigrants came to Hawaii in the following years. Most of these migrants came from southern Japan (

, Yamaguchi,

Kumamoto is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 738,907 and a population density of 1,893 people per km2. The total area is 390.32 km2. had a population of 1,461,000, ...

, etc.) due to crop failures in the region.

Okinawan immigration

In 1900, the first group of Okinawan laborers arrived in Hawaii after Japan lifted its emigration ban on Okinawa Prefecture. These laborers were helped by

Kyuzo Toyama was an Okinawan political activist. He is commonly referred to as the "father of Okinawan emigration" due to his work in sending Okinawans abroad. Early life In 1868, Toyama was born in the town of Kin, Okinawa to a wealthy family. However, h ...

, who is considered to be the "father of Okinawan emigration". Kyuzo Toyama himself led the second group of Okinawans, who arrived on 1903. By 1920, nearly 20,000 Okinawans and their descendants lived in Hawaii. Today,

Okinawans in Hawaii The Okinawans in Hawaii ( Okinawan: ハワイ沖縄人, ''Hawai uchinānchu'') are a Ryukyuan ethnic group, numbering anywhere between 45,000-50,000 people, or 3% of Hawaii’s total population. History Immigration The economy of Okinawa plu ...

form a distinct community from the Japanese in Hawaii due to cultural and linguistic differences.

Annexation of Hawaii by the United States

The political environment shifted with the onset of a new era known as the Hawaiian Revolutions. In 1887 the settlers ended absolute rule by the king by forcing him to accept the

Bayonet Constitution The 1887 Constitution of the Hawaiian Kingdom was a legal document prepared by anti-monarchists to strip the Hawaiian monarchy of much of its authority, initiating a transfer of power to American, European and native Hawaiian elites. It became k ...

and agreeing to constitutional government with a powerful parliament. The new constitution gave voting rights only for Hawaiians, Americans, and Europeans, and thus denied rights for Japanese and other Asians. The Japanese commissioner worked to pressure the Kingdom to restore the rights of Japanese by amending the constitution. In 1893 the Hawaiian Monarchy was overthrown, Tokyo responded by appointing Captain

Tōgō Heihachirō Marshal-Admiral Marquis , served as a '' gensui'' or admiral of the fleet in the Imperial Japanese Navy and became one of Japan's greatest naval heroes. He claimed descent from Samurai Shijo Kingo, and he was an integral part of preserving ...

to command the Japanese naval activities in Hawaii. The HIJMS Naniwa was sent immediately to Hawaii to rendezvous with the HIJMS Kongō which had been on a training mission. Captain Tōgō had previously been a guest of Kalākaua, and returned to Hawaii to denounce the overthrow of Queen Lydia Liliʻuokalani, sister and successor to the late king and conduct “

gunboat diplomacy In international politics, the term gunboat diplomacy refers to the pursuit of foreign policy objectives with the aid of conspicuous displays of naval power, implying or constituting a direct threat of warfare should terms not be agreeable to t ...

”. Tōgō refused to salute the

Provisional Government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, or a transitional government, is an emergency governmental authority set up to manage a political transition generally in the cases of a newly formed state or f ...

by not flying the flag of the Republic. He refused to recognize the new regime, encouraged the British ship to do the same and protested the overthrow. The Japanese commissioner eventually stopped Tōgō from continuing his protest, believing it would undo his work at restoring rights to Japanese.

Katō Kanji Katō Hiroharu, alternatively named Katō Kanji (23 December 1870 – 9 February 1939), was a Japanese naval officer during the Russo-Japanese War and World War I. The first name 'Kanji' was used in his later life after he became famous, likely ...

wrote in hindsight that he had regretted they had not protested harder and should have recruited the British in the protest. The continued presence of the Japanese Navy and Japan's opposition to the overthrow led to a concern that Japan might use military force to restore Liliʻuokalani to her throne as a Japanese puppet.

Anti-Japanese sentiment Anti-Japanese sentiment (also called Japanophobia, Nipponophobia and anti-Japanism) involves the hatred or fear of anything which is Japanese, be it its culture or its people. Its opposite is Japanophilia. Overview Anti-Japanese senti ...

heightened. After April 30, 1900, all children born in Hawaii were American citizens at birth. () Most of the Japanese children had dual citizenship after their parents registered them. The Japanese settlers set up the first Japanese schools in the United States. By 1920, 98% of all Japanese children in Hawaii attended Japanese schools. Statistics for 1934 showed 183 schools taught a total of 41,192 students. Today, Japanese schools in Hawaii operate as supplementary education (usually on Friday nights or Saturday mornings) which is on top of the compulsory education required by the state. Today, where Nikkei are about one-fifth of the whole population, Japanese is a major language, spoken and studied by many of the state's residents across ethnicities. It is taught in private Japanese-language schools as early as the second grade. As a courtesy to the large number of Japanese tourists (from Japan), Japanese subtexts are provided on place signs, public transportation, and civic facilities. The Hawaii media market has a few locally produced Japanese-language newspapers and magazines; however, these are on the verge of dying out, due to a lack of interest on the part of the local (Hawaii-born) Japanese population. Stores that cater to the tourist industry often have Japanese-speaking personnel. To show their allegiance to the U.S., many

Nisei is a Japanese-language term used in countries in North America and South America to specify the ethnically Japanese children born in the new country to Japanese-born immigrants (who are called ). The are considered the second generation, ...

and

Sansei is a Japanese and North American English term used in parts of the world such as South America and North America to specify the children of children born to ethnic Japanese in a new country of residence. The ''nisei'' are considered the second g ...

intentionally avoided learning Japanese.Morimoto, (1997)

Notable people

* Sanji Abe *

Bumpei Akaji Bumpei Akaji (1921–2002) was an American sculptor from Hawaii. He was known for welding large copper and brass sculptures which can be seen all over Hawaii as part of Hawaii's Art in Public Places program. Biography Akaji was born in Lawai, ...

Bernard Akana Bernard K. Akana (1920 or 1921 – April 12, 1990) was an American engineer and politician. He served as the Mayor of Hawaii County from 1988 until his death on April 12, 1990. Akana worked for the Hawaii Electric Light Company as a design plann ...

* Earl I. Anzai *

Alan Arakawa Alan M. Arakawa (born 1951) is an American politician who served as the fifth and seventh mayor of the County of Maui in Hawaii. Education Arakawa graduated from Maui High School and attended the University of Hawaii at Manoa as a business majo ...

George Ariyoshi George Ryoichi Ariyoshi ( ja, 有吉良一, born March 12, 1926) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the third governor of Hawaii from 1974 to 1986. A Democrat, he is Hawaii's longest-serving governor and the first American of ...

Jean Ariyoshi Jean Hayashi Ariyoshi (born October 30, 1934) was the First Lady of Hawaii for 12 years. Among her accomplishments were the reclamation of missing artifacts from the governor's mansion Washington Place, cataloguing the contents, and opening the ...

Karen Awana Karen Leinani Awana is an American politician and a former Democratic member of the Hawaii House of Representatives, representing District 43. Her term ended on November 4, 2014. Awana served consecutively from January 2007 until 2013 in the Dis ...

* Tadao Beppu * Keiko Bonk *

Tom Brower Tom Brower (born March 3, 1965) is an American politician. He was a Democratic House member of the Hawaii House of Representatives who represented the 22nd district— which includes Waikiki, Ala Moana and Kakaako on the island of Oahu. In hi ...

Clarissa Chun Clarissa Kyoko Mei Ling Chun (陳美玲) is the Head Coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes Women's wrestling program, formerly, the USA Wrestling assistant National coach and an American Olympic women's freestyle 48 kg (105.5 lbs) wrestler. Chun ...

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Kawika Crowley David P. "Kawika" Crowley (1952 – January 4, 2023) was a Hawaiian politician who was the Republican nominee for the United States House of Representatives from Hawaii's 2nd congressional district in the November 2012 election. A colorful and ...

Nelson Doi Nelson Kiyoshi Doi (January 1, 1922 – May 16, 2015), was the sixth lieutenant governor of Hawaii from 1974 to 1978 in the first elected administration of Governor George Ariyoshi. Doi was a member of the Hawaii Democratic Party. Early and ...

* Robert Fukuda *

Beth Fukumoto Beth Keiko Fukumoto (formerly Fukumoto Chang, born March 30, 1983) is an American politician who served in the Hawaii House of Representatives from 2013 to 2018, representing District 36. Fukumoto was first elected to the state House of Represent ...

Carol Fukunaga Carol Fukunaga (born December 12, 1947) is an American lawyer and politician. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Fukunaga received her bachelor's degree from the University of Hawaii and her J.D. degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law. She pr ...

Katsu Goto (née Kobayakawa) (1862–1889) was a Japanese merchant, interpreter, and lynching victim. He was the leader of a fledgling Japanese community in Honokaa. Early years Goto was born in Kokufu-mura, Naka District, Kanagawa Prefecture. He was the e ...

Colleen Hanabusa Colleen Wakako Hanabusa ( ja, 花房若子; born May 4, 1951) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2015 and again from 2016 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she ran for her party ...

Troy Hashimoto Troy Hashimoto is an American politician who currently represents the 5th district in the Hawaii Senate. He previously served in the Hawaii House of Representatives, first elected after longtime incumbent Democrat Joseph Souki resigned after al ...

* Yu Hayami *

Harvey Saburo Hayashi Harvey Saburo Hayashi (February 22, 1867 – June 1, 1943) was a Japanese doctor who practiced in Kona, Hawaii. He started a local newspaper, the ''Kona Echo.'' Early life and education Hayashi was born in Fukushima, Japan in 1867 to a samurai f ...

Juggie Heen Ernest Nalani 'Juggie' Heen, Jr. (August 31, 1930 – June 30, 2013) was an American politician. Heen served in the United States Air Force. He then work in real estate development and sales. Heen then served in the Hawaii House of Representat ...

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Mazie Hirono Mazie Keiko Hirono (; Japanese name: , ; born November 3, 1947) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Hawaii since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Hirono previously served as a member of t ...

Linda Ichiyama Linda Ichiyama is a Democratic member of the Hawaii State House of Representatives, representing Moanalua, Aliamanu and Salt Lake, Hawaii in the 32nd District since 2013. Prior to this, Representative Ichiyama represented the same area when ...

* Dan Ige (UFC Fighter) *

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* Les Ihara Jr. *

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* Daniel Inouye * Ken Ito (politician) *

Kim Coco Iwamoto Kim Coco Iwamoto (born May 26, 1968) is an American politician from Hawaii. She was one of the Democratic primary candidates for the position of Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii in the 2018 election. She previously served as a commissioner on the Ha ...

Randy Iwase Randall Y. Iwase (born December 1, 1947) is an American politician and former Hawaii State Senator. In 2006 he announced his candidacy for the Hawaii Democratic Party's nomination for Governor of Hawaii. He ran on a platform emphasizing reform ...

* Jon Karamatsu *

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Chinyei Kinjo Chinyei Kinjo (金城珍栄)(December 21, 1899 March 3, 1987) was an Okinawan journalist. He ran the '' Yoen jiho'' for most of its 49-year history. Early life Kinjo was born in Naha, Okinawa on December 21, 1899. He was the son of Chinzen Kin ...

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Sanzaburo Kobayashi Sanzaburo Kobayashi (also romanized as Sansaburo) (小林参三郎) (1863 1926) was a Japanese surgeon. He founded hospitals in Hawaii and Japan, and also founded the Seizasha Dojo. Biography Kobayashi was born in 1863 in Harima, Japan to a fa ...

* Russell S. Kokubun *

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Fred Kinzaburo Makino Fred Kinzaburo Makino (August 27, 1877 – February 17, 1953) was a Territory of Hawaiʻi newspaper publisher and community activist. He was the founder and first editor of the ''Hawaii Hochi'', a Japanese-language newspaper for Japanese laborer ...

Barbara Marumoto Barbara Marumoto is a former member of the Hawaii House of Representatives, Hawaii State House of Representatives. She represented Kaimuki, Hawaii, Kaimuki, Waialae, and Kahala as a Republican Party (United States), Republican. Biography Marumo ...

Herbert Matayoshi Herbert Tatsuo Matayoshi (November 21, 1928 – July 11, 2011) was an American politician and businessman. Matayoshi was the mayor of Hawaii County from 1974 to 1984. He was the third Mayor of Hawaii County, as well as its second elected Mayor ov ...

Spark Matsunaga Spark Masayuki Matsunaga ( ja, 松永正幸, October 8, 1916April 15, 1990) was an American politician and attorney who served as United States Senator for Hawaii from 1977 until his death in 1990. Matsunaga also represented Hawaii in the U.S. ...

Patsy Mink Patsy Matsu Mink (née Takemoto; December 6, 1927 – September 28, 2002) was an American attorney and politician from the U.S. state of Hawaii. Mink was a third-generation Japanese American, having been born and raised on the island of Maui. ...

* John Mizuno * Iga Mori * Ishiko Mori *

Motokazu Mori was a Japanese surgeon and tanka poet who practiced in Hawaii. Biography Mori was born on July 24, 1890, in Nagasaki, Japan. He was the son of the physician and community leader Iga Mori. Mori was raised in Japan by his grandmother, and grew up ...

Hermina Morita Hermina 'Mina' Morita (born September 2, 1954) is an adviser for the Hawaii State House Committee on Finance. She is the former chair of the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) of the State of Hawaii. She previously served as a Democratic member ...

* Tetsuo Najita *

Keo Nakama Keo Nakama (May 21, 1920 – September 8, 2011) was an American swimmer. Nakama was born in the town of Puʻunene, Hawaii, on the island of Maui. He was one of a group taught by Soichi Sakamoto at the Puʻunene School His swimming career incl ...

Mark Nakashima Mark M. Nakashima (born March 27, 1963) is a Democratic member of the Hawaii House of Representatives. He was first elected in 2008, and represents the first district, including Hamakua, North Hilo, and South Hilo. After obtaining a bachelor's ...

Clarence Nishihara Clarence K. Nishihara is a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic member of the Hawaii Senate, representing the state's 18th district from 2004 to 2023. He was the Chair of the Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affa ...

Scott Nishimoto Scott Y. Nishimoto is an American politician and a Democratic member of the Hawaii House of Representatives since January 2003 representing District 21. Education Nishimoto earned his Bachelor of Arts in sociology from the University of Hawai� ...

Steere Noda Gikaku Steere Noda ( 1892 – March 29, 1986) was a Japanese American politician, lawyer, and baseball player in the State of Hawaii. Early life Noda was born in 1892 at the Ewa plantation to Esaki and Suma Noda, immigrants from Kumamoto, Japan. ...

Takashi Ohno Takashi Ohno (born on Kodiak Island, Alaska) is an American politician and a Democratic member of the Hawaii House of Representatives since January 16, 2013 representing District 27. Ohno announced in March 2022 that he will not be runni ...

* Richard Onishi * Ellison Onizuka (NASA Astronaut) * Blake Oshiro *

Marcus Oshiro Marcus R. Oshiro (born April 24, 1959 in Honolulu, Hawaii) is an American politician and a Democratic member of the Hawaii House of Representatives since January 16, 2013 representing District 46. Oshiro consecutively served from January 1995 un ...

Paul Osumi was a Christian minister in Hawaii. He is best known for his column in the '' Hawaii Hochi'' and the ''Honolulu Advertiser'', "Today's Thought". Early life Osumi was born on June 15, 1905 in Kusatsu, Hiroshima, Japan. He immigrated to Hawaii in ...

Evelyn Rawski Evelyn Sakakida Rawski (born February 2, 1939) is Distinguished University Professor in the Department of History of the University of Pittsburgh and a scholar in Chinese and Inner Asian history. She was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States of ...

Pat Saiki Patricia Hatsue Saiki (''née'' Fukuda; born May 28, 1930) is an American politician and former educator from Hilo, Hawaii. She served as a Republican in Congress from 1987 to 1991 and then as Administrator of the Small Business Administration u ...

Scott Saiki Scott K. Saiki (born July 17, 1964) is an American attorney and politician. Since 1994, he has served as a Democratic member of the Hawaii House of Representatives, representing the state's 26th district. He served as majority leader from 2013 to ...

* Thomas Sakakihara *

Shunzo Sakamaki Shunzo Sakamaki ( ja, 坂巻駿三; July 15, 1906 – July 19, 1973) was a Japanese studies professor at the University of Hawaii. Sakamaki Hall, where the History department at the University of Hawaii is housed, was built after his death and name ...

* Norman Sakamoto *

James Shigeta James Saburo Shigeta ( ja, 繁田三郎) (June 17, 1929 – July 28, 2014) was an American actor of Japanese descent. He was noted for his roles in '' The Crimson Kimono'' (1959), '' Walk Like a Dragon'' (1960), ''Flower Drum Song'' (1961), ...

Maile Shimabukuro Maile S.L. Shimabukuro (born October 1, 1970) is a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic member of the Hawaii State Senate, representing the state's 21st district since her election in 2011. The district includes Kalaeloa, Hawaii, Kalaeloa, ...

* Louis Smolka (UFC Fighter) *

Mark Takai Kyle Mark Takai (July 1, 1967 – July 20, 2016) was an American politician from the state of Hawaii who served in the United States House of Representatives, representing , from 2015 to 2016. He served in the Hawaii House of Representatives ...

* Dwight Takamine *

Yoshito Takamine Yoshito Takamine (June 24, 1924 – October 27, 2015) was an American politician and labor leader in Hawaii. Takamine, who was first elected to the Hawaii House of Representatives in 1958, when the state was still the Territory of Hawaii, served ...

Gregg Takayama Gregg Takayama (born 1952 in Honolulu, Hawaii) is an American politician and a Democratic member of the Hawaii House of Representatives since November 6, 2012, representing District 34. Education Takayama earned his Bachelor of Arts in journali ...

* Roy Takumi *

Brian Taniguchi Brian T. Taniguchi (born November 7, 1951 in Honolulu, Hawaii) is an American politician and a Democratic member of the Hawaii Senate since January 16, 2013 representing District 10. Taniguchi served consecutively from 1995 until 2013 in the Di ...

* Larry Tanimoto *

Charmaine Tavares Charmaine Tavares (born 1943 Hana, Hawaii) is an American politician and teacher. Tavares served as the Mayor of Maui from January 2007 to January 2011. She unsuccessfully sought a second four-year term in office in the 2010 Maui mayoral electio ...

* Chris Toshiro Todd *

James Tokioka James "Jimmy" Kunane Tokioka is an American politician and a Democratic member of the Hawaii House of Representatives since January 2007 representing District 15. Career Before entering politics Tokioka owned a restaurant. He entered politi ...

Jill Tokuda Jill Naomi Tokuda (born March 3, 1976) is an American businesswoman and politician serving as the U.S representative for Hawaii's 2nd congressional district since 2023. Tokuda represented the 24th district in the Hawaii Senate from 2006 to 20 ...

* Clift Tsuji * Wilfred Tsukiyama *

Shan Tsutsui Shan S. Tsutsui (born August 9, 1971) is an American politician who was the 12th lieutenant governor of Hawaii from 2012 to 2018. A member of the Democratic Party, he was previously a member of the Hawaii Senate from 2003 to 2012, and he served ...

Shane Victorino Shane Patrick Victorino (born November 30, 1980), nicknamed "The Flyin' Hawaiian", is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodger ...

Lynne Waihee Lynne Kobashigawa Waihee (born December 9, 1946) was First Lady of Hawaii from 1986 to 1994. Born in Hawaii and married to the first Native Hawaiian governor of the state, she was raised in Kalihi. Educated at Andrews University, her first vocat ...

Glenn Wakai Glenn S. Wakai (born May 14, 1967) is an American politician and a Democratic member of the Hawaii Senate since January 2011 representing District 15. Wakai consecutively served in the Hawaii State Legislature where he served from 2003 until 2 ...

Ryan Yamane Ryan I. Yamane (born October 24, 1969) is an American politician and a Democratic member of the Hawaii House of Representatives from November 2004 to January 2023 representing District 37. Yamane was reelected to a two-year ter ...

Stephen K. Yamashiro Stephen Kei Yamashiro (July 15, 1941 – May 24, 2011) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the former Mayor of Hawaii, Mayor of Hawaii County, Hawaii, Hawaii County from 1992 to 2000. Yamashiro served on the Hawaii County council ...

Kyle Yamashita Kyle T. Yamashita (born September 2, 1959) is an American politician and a Democratic member of the Hawaii House of Representatives since November 2, 2004 representing District 12. Elections *2012 Yamashita was unopposed for the August 11, 201 ...

Nadao Yoshinaga Nadao "Najo" Yoshinaga (August 8, 1919 – December 29, 2009) was a senator from Hawaii and a member of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Early life Yoshinaga was born in Wailuku, Maui on August 8, 1919. He graduated from Maui High School. He s ...

Keone Young Keone Joseph Young is an American actor. He is best known for his television roles as Dr. Michael Kwan in '' Kay O'Brien'' (1986), Mr. Wu in '' Deadwood'' (2004–2006) and as the dual roles of Judge Robert Chong and Mr. Wan in ''The Young and t ...