NikkeiWest--Northern California Japanese American Newspaper

By J.K. Yamamoto

Former Hawaii Gov. George Ariyoshi, the nation’s first governor of Asian descent, was an honoree and the keynote speaker at the annual awards dinner of the National Japanese American Historical Society (NJAHS) on March 27 at the Hotel Kabuki in San Francisco Japantown.

Ariyoshi, 84, led the state from 1973 to 1986 and is the longest-serving governor in Hawaii’s history.

A Nisei and a Honolulu native, he received his law degree from the University of Michigan and served in Hawaii’s Territorial House of Representatives and Territorial Senate. After statehood, he was elected as a state senator and as lieutenant governor, then became acting governor when Gov. John Burns fell ill. Ariyoshi was elected in his own right in 1974, 1978 and 1982.

Now an elder statesman of Hawaii’s Democratic Party, he has been involved with a variety of corporations and non-profit organizations. Currently, he is the chairman of two companies that he founded, Convergence CT Inc. and Cellular Bioengineering Inc.

Ariyoshi, who attended with his wife, Jean, was introduced with a video featuring testimonials from former Hawaii residents.

Keith Kamisugi, communications director of the Equal Justice Society in San Francisco, said, “I was 4 when Gov. Ariyoshi was first elected … As I was growing up, I saw Gov. Ariyoshi on TV and didn’t really think it was anything special that the governor of our state was a Japanese American. It did have a big impact on me in terms of thinking that I can do good things in the community and that my being Japanese American wasn’t going to be a barrier to doing those things.”

Mary Bitterman, president and trustee of the Bernard Osher Foundation, said, “I’ve known George Ariyoshi for nearly 40 years and I have the greatest affection and respect for him. I had the privilege of serving in his cabinet and working with him on many community projects. The influence of George Ariyoshi on Hawaii, on our nation, and on our larger world, especially the Asia-Pacific area, is indelible.

“Sound, responsible, honest government, commitment to making the world a better place for future generations, compassion for the frail and elderly, respect for all people and the promotion of cross-cultural understanding — these are among the hallmarks of Gov. George Ariyoshi.”

>Importance of History

Ariyoshi, who was walking with a cane, explained, “In the last nine months or so I’ve had three bad falls and I’ve had two spine surgeries, and I’m going through rehab treatment now. In a couple of months I’m going to be okay, so don’t worry about me.”

Rather than himself, he said that NJAHS should be recognized “because they do a tremendous job collecting and preserving and especially interpreting some of the things that need to be remembered. Just imagine if this historical society for the AJAs (Americans of Japanese ancestry) were not in existence. Everything that is done by the Japanese Americans would be forgotten and gone after one or two generations. It’s because of the work of the historical society that you can pass on through the generations the work that has been done by AJAs here in the United States.”

Ariyoshi remembered being told by his Issei father, “If you don’t learn history, you’re bound to make the same mistakes over and over again. Put another way, if you don’t understand history … we are going to lose the benefit of achieving success … You learn from the experience of those who have done good things in the community, and I think that’s the major value of history.”

Speaking of the Japanese Americans who served with distinction in the 100th Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team in Europe and in the Military Intelligence Service in Asia and the Pacific, he said, “What made them become so successful? I know they were motivated by the fact that they wanted to prove their loyalty to the country, a country that did not trust them … But I think there’s something even more important … I think some of the values attached onto them by their parents and their grandparents played a very important role.

“I can’t speak for those who were on the mainland here, but I can speak for those who were in Hawaii and the values that they lived by. There were some Japanese words that really exemplified this feeling.”

Key Concepts

One of those words was “gambaru” — to persevere, to hang in there, not to give up. “To me that’s a very important value that the men who went to battle carried close with them,” said Ariyoshi, citing the 442nd’s rescue of the “Lost Battalion” of Texas, which was trapped behind enemy lines in France. Suffering heavy casualties, the Nisei succeeded in breaking through after other units had failed, and were later named honorary citizens of Texas.

“Giri” was described by Ariyoshi as the desire “to repay the obligations that one has toward others … I know it was a very strong motivating factor in having the boys go to battle and do what they had to do.”

Another factor was “haji” or shame. Ariyoshi, who was in basic training when the war was ending, recalled his father’s parting words. “He wanted me to be safe. He also told me that he did not want me to bring shame on the family and friends. What he was saying to me was that honor was very important. You’ve got to do what you have to do, and do it honorably.”

He explained “otagai” as “the idea of helping, being understanding of people” and gave a more contemporary example. If something goes wrong in an American company, the management will “conduct an investigation, find out what happened and who was responsible, and literally crucify the person,” Ariyoshi said. “In the Japanese setting … there still is an investigation to try to figure out what was wrong, not so much who was wrong … more with the idea of … forgiving, working together, understanding, supporting one another.”

Lastly, “okage sama de” — loosely translated, “I am what I am because of you” — embodies the idea that “no person … can ever accomplish anything without the help of many other people.”

Ariyoshi stressed the importance of passing on these values “to your children, your grandchildren.”

Role of MIS

Ariyoshi, who served with the MIS in occupied Japan, noted that the Nisei linguists’ work was kept secret because of the tactical advantage of being able to translate Japanese documents and broadcasts and to interrogate Japanese POWs.

The men of the MIS also got less recognition, he said, because they did not fight as a unit like the 100th/442nd but were scattered among different units throughout the Pacific.

Quoting Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s chief of staff as saying that the war with Japan was shortened by two years because of the MIS’ contributions, Ariyoshi said, “It’s one thing to be able to take a message and translate it, but … the understanding of the culture also became a very important part of the effort of the MIS linguists.

“The Army intelligence group recognized the importance of the language and the cultural understanding. They even went so far as say that not just the Japanese language but in terms of other languages and other cultures, it would be very important in the future for this kind of capability to exist in order that all our tasks can be made better and easier.”

The MIS Language School, which was founded at the Presidio of San Francisco in 1941 and moved to Minnesota, is now known as the Defense Language Institute at the Presidio of Monterey.

Ariyoshi added, “It was the policy of the American government that they wanted Japan to recover as soon as possible to … become allies of the United States … The MIS played a very important role …

“I was in Japan for just a very short time during the occupation, but during the short time that I was there, my assignment was … to break up the zaibatsu (wartime business conglomerates that controlled much of the economy).”

He quoted former U.S. Ambassador to Japan Mike Mansfield as saying that the U.S.-Japan relationship is “the most important bilateral relationship in the world, bar none. I had many occasions to talk with Ambassador Mansfield. That’s something that he felt very strongly about ... One a Western country, one an Asian country, both democratic nations working together.

“That does not mean that everything’s going to be easy and rosy … There’s a dispute over the problems in Okinawa, about the relocation of the (U.S.) military forces that are there. I’m convinced that it’s going to be worked out. When it’s worked out, the countries are going to become closer together because they were able to tackle their differences together.”

Ariyoshi expressed his support of NJAHS’ campaign to transform Building 640 at the Presidio of San Francisco — the original home of the MIS — into an interpretive center. The project has already received some federal funds.

The larger message of the MIS story, he said, is “that it requires that same kind of effort as we go into the future … to understand the differences that exist between peoples of the world … Sometimes people are afraid of diversity … In Hawaii, those differences do not separate us; those differences, that diversity brings us together … That’s the kind of community that the men of the 442nd, 100th and MIS tried to work for. That’s why I’m very grateful.”

Ariyoshi closed by saying “Okage sama de” to NJAHS and accepting an award from NJAHS President Ken Kawaichi.

Also recognized were Lillian Kimura, the first female president of the National JACL; storyteller Brenda Wong Aoki and musician Mark Izu of First Voice; photojournalist Tom Graves, who has done several portraits of Nisei veterans; and descendants of the Aizu-Wakamatsu Tea and Silk Colony, the first Japanese settlement in the U.S. KTVU-TV reporters Robert Handa and Jana Katsuyama served as emcees.