Japanese Immigrants Assembly Hall Hilo 40090628 2000c1f2ae

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

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

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

History

Final voyage of the ''Inawaka-maru''

The earliest known Japanese people in the

Kingdom of Hawaii The Hawaiian Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian:

ɛ ɐwˈpuni həˈvɐjʔi Latin epsilon or open E (majuscule: Ɛ, minuscule: ɛ) is a letter of the extended Latin alphabet, based on the lowercase of the Greek letter epsilon (ε). It was introduced in the 16th century by Gian Giorgio Trissino to represent the pronunc ...

, was an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country from 1795 to 1893, which eventually encompassed all of the inhabited Hawaii ...

were the survivors of the ill-fated ship ''Inawaka-maru'', who arrived on May 5, 1806. They 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 Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

, 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 has b ...

Edo Edo (), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the '' de facto'' capital of Japan from 1603 as the seat of the Tokugawa shogu ...

(modern

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

) 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 Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Mie Prefecture has a population of 1,781,948 () a ...

– 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 Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

. 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 (, , sometimes written Oahu) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northwe ...

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

Kamehameha I Kamehameha I (; Kalani Paiʻea Wohi o Kaleikini Kealiʻikui Kamehameha o ʻIolani i Kaiwikapu kauʻi Ka Liholiho Kūnuiākea; to May 8 or 14, 1819), also known as Kamehameha the Great, was the conqueror and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii ...

. 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 is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...

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

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

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

Nagasaki , officially , is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Founded by the Portuguese, the port of Portuguese_Nagasaki, Nagasaki became the sole Nanban trade, port used for tr ...

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

Sakoku is the most common name for the isolationist foreign policy of the Japanese Tokugawa shogunate under which, during the Edo period (from 1603 to 1868), relations and trade between Japan and other countries were severely limited, and almost all ...

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, also known as the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi ( Hawaiian: ɛ ɐwˈpuni həˈvɐjʔi, was an archipelagic country from 1795 to 1893, which eventually encompassed all of the inhabited Hawaiian Islands. It was established in 1795 w ...

. 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, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...

. 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 ...

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

Meiji period The was 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 colonizatio ...

, 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 Slave trade may refer to: * History of slavery - overview of slavery It may also refer to slave trades in specific countries, areas: * Al-Andalus slave trade * Atlantic slave trade ** Brazilian slave trade ** Bristol slave trade ** Danish sl ...

. For example,

Korekiyo Takahashi Viscount was a Japanese politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1921 to 1922 and Minister of Finance when he was assassinated. He was also a member of the House of Peers and head of the Bank of Japan. Takahashi made many contribu ...

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

slave Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

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

Prime Minister A prime minister 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. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

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

sugar plantations Plantations are farms specializing in cash crops, usually mainly planting a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Plantations, centered on a plantation house, grow crops including cotton, cannabis, tobac ...

. They sailed from

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

to Honolulu from May 17 to June 19, 1868, on the ''Scioto''. This first official group of Japanese immigrants were called the Gannenmono (), 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, the leader of the group; the youngest Ichigorō Ishimura, 13 years old; Sentarō Ishii, a

samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...

from

Okayama is the prefectural capital, capital Cities of Japan, city of Okayama Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan. The Okayama metropolitan area, centered around the city, has the largest urban employment zone in the Chugoku region of western J ...

, 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) ...

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 King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a constitutional monarch if his power is restrained by fi ...

visited Japan to strengthen relations between the two nations. Kalākaua offered not to request

extraterritoriality In international law, extraterritoriality or exterritoriality 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 jurisdict ...

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 son of Prince Fushimi Kuniie, head of the Fushimi-no-miya, one of the ...

. 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 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 stout, jointed, fib ...

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 Cities of Japan, 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 populat ...

, 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 is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan. It consists of three main island groups—the Okinawa Islands, the Sakishima Islands, and the Daitō Islands—spread across a maritime zone approximately 1,000 kilometers east to west an ...

. These laborers were helped by Kyuzo Toyama, 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 Okinawans in Hawaii () number between 45,000 and 50,000 people, or 3% of Hawaii, the U.S. state's total population. History Immigration The economy of the Ryukyu Islands plummeted following its Disposition of Ryukyu, annexation by Japan in 18 ...

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 absolute Hawaiian monarchy of much of its authority, initiating a transfer of power to a coalition of American, European and native Haw ...

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 , served as a '' gensui'' or admiral of the fleet in the Imperial Japanese Navy and became one of Japan's greatest naval heroes. As Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905, he successfully confine ...

to command the Japanese naval activities in Hawaii. The ''Naniwa'' was sent immediately to Hawaii to rendezvous with the ''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 Gunboat diplomacy is 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 the superior force. The term originated in ...

”. Tōgō refused to salute the

Provisional Government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, a transitional government or provisional leadership, is a temporary government formed to manage a period of transition, often following state collapse, revoluti ...

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 The , abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial 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) is the fear or dislike of Japan or Japanese culture. Anti-Japanese sentiment can take many forms, from antipathy toward Japan as a country to racist hatr ...

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 Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

. 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 Nikkei can refer to: *, abbreviated , Nikkei, a large media corporation in Japan *, abbreviated , Nikkei, a major business newspaper published in Japan *, a Japanese stock market index, published by ''Nihon Keizai Shimbun'' *Nikkei cuisine, a Japan ...

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. 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, Japanese-language term used in countries in North America and South America to specify the nikkeijin, ethnically Japanese children born in the new country to Japanese-born immigrants, or . The , or Second generation imm ...

and

Sansei is a Japanese and North American English term used in parts of the world (mainly in South America and North America) to refer to the children of children born to ethnically Japanese emigrants (''Issei'') in a new country of residence, outside o ...

intentionally avoided learning Japanese.

Japanese tourism in Hawaii

Hawaii was an attractive dream destination to Japanese people for over a century, but the tourism boom began in 1964. As Japan opened for travel abroad, huge numbers of Japanese citizens began to visit Hawaii. Due to the large percentage of people of Japanese descent living there, it provides familiar comfort while retaining the image of a foreign paradise. The concept of ''amae'' describes the feeling of safety and dependence on others present in the Japanese tourists' image of Hawaii. In addition to the familiarity of sharing Japanese heritage, as a courtesy to the large number of Japanese tourists, Japanese subtexts are provided on place signs, public transportation, and civic facilities. Visitors from Japan make up such a large portion of tourists in Hawaii that at its highest point, Japanese tourists constituted up to one third of the total visitors. In addition, Japanese tourist tend to spend more than other tourists, such as those from the mainland United States. They are often returning visitors, and the Japanese concept of '' omiyage'' presents a social expectation to purchase and bring back gifts from traveling. Overall, Japanese tourists are an important segment of Hawaii's tourism industry, which makes up 21% of the state's economy.

Education

In 1962, there were 83 educational institutions in Hawaii which taught Japanese. There is a supplementary Japanese school with recognition from the Japanese

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology The , also known as MEXT, is one of the eleven ministries of Japan that compose part of the executive branch of the government of Japan. History The Meiji period, Meiji government created the first Ministry of Education in 1871. In January 2001 ...

(MEXT),北米の補習授業校一覧（平成25年4月15日現在）
.

MEXT The , also known as MEXT, is one of the eleven ministries of Japan that compose part of the executive branch of the government of Japan. History The Meiji period, Meiji government created the first Ministry of Education in 1871. In January 2001 ...

. Retrieved on May 5, 2014. The Hawaii Japanese School – Rainbow Gakuen (ハワイレインボー学園 ''Hawai Rainbō Gakuen'') in

Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

. This school caters to families with Japanese citizenship. It was first established in 1974.

Notable people

* Sanji Abe *

Bumpei Akaji Bumpei Akaji (1921–2002) was an American Hawaiian sculptor of Japanese descent. 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 Bumpei A ...

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 Maui, mayor of the County of Maui in Hawaii. Education Arakawa graduated from Maui High School and attended the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa a ...

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

Robert Kiyosaki Robert Toru Kiyosaki (born April 8, 1947) is an American businessman and author, known for the '' Rich Dad Poor Dad'' series of personal finance books. He founded the Rich Dad Company, which provides personal finance and business education throu ...

* Jean Ariyoshi *

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 Di ...

* Tadao Beppu *

Keiko Bonk Keiko Cecilia Bonk (born 1954) is an American artist, musician and former politician from Hawaii. Bonk co-founded the Green Party of Hawaii and was the first person in North America elected to a partisan level office as a member of the Green Pa ...

Tom Brower Tom Brower (born March 3, 1965) is an American politician. He was a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic House member of the Hawaii House of Representatives who represented the 22nd district— which includes Waikiki, Ala Moana and Kakaʻ ...

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

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* Kawika Crowley *

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 Robert Kiyoshi Fukuda (, 1922 – July 12, 2013) was an American politician, lawyer and former member of the Hawaii House of Representatives from 1959 to 1962. Fukuda was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1922. He earned a bachelor's degree from the Un ...

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 2012 to 2018, representing District 36. Fukumoto was first elected to the state House of Represent ...

Carol Fukunaga Carol A. Fukunaga (born December 12, 1947) is an American lawyer and politician. She is a member of the Hawaii State Senate from the 11th District and has served in various elected offices since 1978. Early life and education Born in Honolulu, ...

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 (, 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's nomination for ...

* Troy Hashimoto *

Yu Hayami is a Japanese singer and television personality. In 2011, the Japanese music television program ''Music Station'' listed her as the 50th all-time best-selling idol in Japan, with 2,850,000 records sold. Childhood and education Hayami was b ...

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 Heen, Jr. (August 31, 1930 – June 30, 2013), known as Juggie Heen, was an American politician. One of nine children of former city clerk and territorial senator Ernest Nalani Heen Sr., Heen served in the United States Air For ...

Ryan Higa Ryan Higa (born June 6, 1990), also known as nigahiga ( ), is an American internet personality. Best known for his comedy videos on YouTube, Higa began making YouTube videos in 2006 and was one of the most popular creators on the platform in i ...

Mazie Hirono Mazie Keiko Hirono (; Japanese name: , ; born November 3, 1947) is an American lawyer and politician serving since 2013 as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senate, United States senator from Hawaii. A member of the ...

* Linda Ichiyama *

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David Ige David Yutaka Ige (; 伊芸豊, ''Ige Yutaka'', born January 15, 1957) is an American politician and engineer who served as the eighth governor of Hawaii from 2014 to 2022. A Democrat, he served in the Hawaii State Senate from 1994 to 2014 and ...

* Les Ihara Jr. *

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Enson Inoue Enson Shoji Inoue (; born April 15, 1967) is a Japanese-Hawaiian jiu-jitsu practitioner and retired professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 1995 until 2010, he fought for the PRIDE Fighting Championships, the UFC, Shoo ...

Daniel Inouye Daniel Ken Inouye ( , , September 7, 1924 – December 17, 2012) was an American attorney, soldier, and statesman who served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Hawaii from 1963 until his death in 2012. A Medal of Honor recipi ...

* Ken Ito *

Kim Coco Iwamoto Kim Coco Iwamoto (born May 26, 1968) is an American politician from Hawaii and member of the Hawaii House of Representatives. Iwamoto is the first transgender state legislator in Hawaii history. She was also one of the Democratic primary candi ...

* Randy Iwase * Jon Karamatsu *

Derek Kawakami Derek S.K. Kawakami is an American politician serving as the eleventh Mayor of Kauai since December 3, 2018. Kawakami previously served as a Kauai County Councilmember from 2016-2018 and 2008-2011 and as a member of the Hawaii House of Represent ...

* Richard Kawakami * Michelle Kidani *

Jean King Jean Sadako King (née McKillop; born December 6, 1925 – November 24, 2013) was the Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii, seventh lieutenant governor of Hawaii, the state's first woman to be elected as such, from 1978 to 1982 in the Public administr ...

* Chinyei Kinjo * Ann Kobayashi * Bertrand Kobayashi * Sanzaburo Kobayashi * Russell S. Kokubun * Sam Saturo Kong *

Roland Kotani Roland M. Kotani (June 15, 1954 – July 28, 1989) was an American politician and Democratic member of the Hawaii State House of Representatives. Kotani served as assistant majority floor leader and represented the Pearl City Pacific Palisades ...

Ron Kouchi Ronald Dan Kouchi is a Democratic politician from Hawaii, representing the 8th district in the state Senate. He has served as the 14th President of the Hawaiʻi Senate since 2015. Personal life Ron Kouchi is married to Joy Naomi Tanimoto. He h ...

Clyde Kusatsu Clyde Kusatsu (born September 13, 1948) is an American actor. A prolific character actor, he has appeared in over 300 film and television productions since his debut in 1970. He is the Secretary of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, after previously se ...

Sanoe Lake Sànoe Lake is an American actress, model and surfer. Personal life Lake was born and raised on Kauai, Hawaii. She is of Hawaiian, Japanese and English descent. Her name "Sànoe" means "The Mist." Lake was 15 years old when she was discovered b ...

* Fred Kinzaburo Makino *

Barbara Marumoto Barbara Marumoto (née Okamoto, born 1939) is a former member of the Hawaii State House of Representatives. She represented Kaimuki, Waialae, and Kahala as a Republican. Biography Marumoto was born in San Francisco in 1939, and spent part of ...

* Herbert Matayoshi *

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

Patsy Mink Patsy Matsu Mink ( Takemoto; , December 6, 1927 – September 28, 2002) was an American attorney and politician from the U.S. state of Hawaii who served in the United States House of Representatives for 24 years as a member of the Democratic ...

* 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 * Tetsuo Najita * Keo Nakama *

Mark Nakashima Mark Masashi Nakashima (March 27, 1963 – July 11, 2024) was an American politician who was a Democratic member of the Hawaii House of Representatives. He was first elected in 2008, and represented the first district, including Hamakua, Nort ...

* Clarence Nishihara *

Scott Nishimoto Scott Yoshimi Nishimoto is an American politician serving as the member of the Honolulu City Council representing District V since January 2, 2025. He is a former Democratic member of the Hawaii House of Representatives from 2002 to 2024. Edu ...

* Steere Noda *

Takashi Ohno Takashi Ohno (born on Kodiak Island, Alaska) is an American politician who was a Democratic member of the Hawaii House of Representatives for District 27 from 2012 to 2022. Ohno announced in March 2022 that he would not be running for re ...

* Richard Onishi *

Ellison Onizuka was an American astronaut, engineer, and U.S. Air Force flight test engineer from Kealakekua, Hawaii, who successfully flew into space with the Space Shuttle ''Discovery'' on STS-51-C. He died in the destruction of the Space Shuttle ''Cha ...

* Blake Oshiro * Marcus Oshiro *

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 an American scholar of Chinese and Inner Asian history. She is currently a Distinguished University Professor in the Department of History of the University of Pittsburgh. She was born in Honolulu, ...

Pat Saiki Patricia Hatsue Saiki (''née'' Fukuda; born May 28, 1930) is an American politician and former educator from Hilo, Hawaii. A member of the Republican Party, she served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1987 to 1991 ...

Scott Saiki Scott Kazuo Saiki (born July 17, 1964) is an American attorney and politician. 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 2017 and ...

* Thomas Sakakihara * Shunzo Sakamaki *

Norman Sakamoto Norman Sakamoto (born May 22, 1947) is an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the Hawaii Senate from 1996 to 2010. He represented Hawaii Senatorial District 15, comprising the communities of Aliamanu, Foster Village, Hala ...

James Shigeta James Saburo Shigeta (; June 17, 1929 – July 28, 2014) was an American actor and singer. He was known for his roles in ''The Crimson Kimono'' (1959), ''Walk Like a Dragon'' (1960), ''Flower Drum Song (film), Flower Drum Song'' (1961), ''B ...

* Maile Shimabukuro *

Louis Smolka Louis Smolka (born July 16, 1991) is an American mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight (MMA), bantamweight division. A professional competitor since 2010, he has previously fought for the Ultimate Fighting Champ ...

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, serv ...

* Gregg Takayama * Roy Takumi *

Brian Taniguchi Brian Tetsuji Taniguchi (born November 7, 1951, in Honolulu, Hawaii) is an American politician and a former Democratic member of the Hawaii Senate from January 16, 2013, to January 16, 2023, representing District 10. Taniguchi served consecutive ...

Larry Tanimoto Larry Sunao Tanimoto (January 5, 1945 – February 27, 2025) was an American administrator and politician. Tanimoto became the Mayor of Hawaii County in 1990 following the death of Mayor Bernard Akana. Tanimoto became the managing director ...

Akebono Tarō was an American-born Japanese professional sumo wrestler and professional wrestler from Waimānalo, Hawaii. Joining sumo in Japan in 1988, he was trained by pioneering Hawaiian wrestler Takamiyama and rose swiftly up the rankings, reaching t ...

* Charmaine Tavares * Chris Toshiro Todd *

James Tokioka James "Jimmy" Kunane Tokioka is an American politician and was a Democratic member of the Hawaii House of Representatives from November 2006 to January 2023, most recently representing District 16. He currently serves as the director ...

Jill Tokuda Jill Naomi Tokuda (born March 3, 1976) is an American politician and business owner serving as the U.S. representative for Hawaii's 2nd congressional district since 2023. Tokuda is one of three Japanese Americans who currently serve in the Hou ...

* Clift Tsuji *

Wilfred Tsukiyama Wilfred Chomatsu "Tsuky" Tsukiyama (, March 22, 1897 – January 6, 1966) was an attorney, Territorial Senator, and chief justice of the Supreme Court of Hawaii. He was the first Japanese American elected to the Territorial Senate of Hawaii, and t ...

Shan Tsutsui Shan S. Tsutsui (born August 9, 1971) is an American politician who was the 13th 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 a ...

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 Dodge ...

* Lynne Waihee *

Glenn Wakai Glenn Satoru Wakai (born May 14, 1967) is an American politician and a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic member of the Hawaii Senate since November 2010 representing District 15. Wakai consecutively served in the Hawaii State Legislat ...

* Ryan Yamane * Stephen K. Yamashiro * Kyle Yamashita *

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. H ...

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 ...