On May 2, 2024, Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles, Japanese Minister of Defense Minoru Kihara, the Philippines Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro, and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III, met in Hawai‘i and collaborated to advance their shared vision for a free, open, secure, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.
The following morning, it was an honor and a privilege to welcome Japanese Minister of Defense Minoru Kihara and his entourage to our 100th Infantry Battalion Clubhouse. We are blessed that he made the time from his busy schedule to visit the clubhouse and honor the men of the 100th Infantry Battalion, the majority of whom were Americans of Japanese ancestry (AJA).
Japanese Minister of Defense Minoru Kihara visits our 100th Infantry Battalion Clubhouse while in Honolulu.
Accompanying Defense Minister Kihara was Yoshinori Kodama, Consul General of Japan in Honolulu. He and his team from the Consulate-General of Japan in Honolulu, provided invaluable support and assistance in the days preceding this visit, and we are very appreciative of their guidance.
Welcoming Defense Minister Kihara to the Clubhouse on behalf of the 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans were Jan Sakoda [daughter of Gary Uchida (HQ)], President, Kathi Hayashi [daughter of Tokuichi Hayashi (A)], Treasurer and Education Chair, and Amy Kwong [granddaughter of Masanobu Eugene Kawakami (A)], Board Director and Communications Chair. After an exchange of greetings, the three gave a tour of the Clubhouse Education Center to Minister Kihara and his team.
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara arrives with Consul General Yoshinori Kodama, and is greeted and shown around the Clubhouse by 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans representatives.
Minister Kihara shared that he is from Kumamoto prefecture, which is from where many Hawai‘i Issei immigrated. President Jan Sakoda reflected that her father, 100th Infantry Battalion veteran Gary Uchida’s parents, both came from Kumamoto also. We were honored to share about the history and legacy of the 100th Infantry Battalion with Defense Minister Kihara.
The tour began with Jan explaining the formation, training, and combat experiences of the 100th Infantry Battalion, followed by the significance of the Medal of Honor recipients of the 100th, and an explanation of the club’s Honorary Members, including Japanese entertainer, Misora Hibari. In 1950, when she was 12 years old and already a popular entertainer in Japan, Misora Hibari gave three concerts in Hawai‘i. The shows were sponsored by Club 100 partly as a fundraising project for the building of the clubhouse, and also to bring live Japanese shows for the parents of the men who had served in the 100th, and their friends who were born in Japan.
This was followed by Kathi discussing the background, lifestyle, and values of the men who served in the 100th Infantry Battalion, which was enhanced by photos of her father, Tokuichi Hayashi, and Jan’s father, Gary Uchida, which she showed to Minister Kihara. The tour concluded with Jan and Amy touching upon the post-war contributions of the 100th Infantry Battalion, including Dr. Katsumi Kometani’s (Medics) role in helping to raise funds for the Japanese Olympic Federation to send a delegate to a meeting of the International Olympic Committee in Rome, leading to Japan being welcomed back into the 1952 Olympic Games.
We shared how Major Mitsuyoshi Fukuda (A) served as the last commanding officer of the 100th Infantry Battalion, becoming the first AJA to command a combat infantry battalion, and the first Nisei combat officer to hold field rank in the U.S. Army. Upon returning as the last original member of the 100th Infantry Battalion to leave Europe at the war’s end, Maj. Fukuda requested that steps be taken to perpetuate the identity of the 100th Infantry Battalion, possibly with one of the units of the National Guard being given the 100th designation, and that the official policy of segregation against Japanese Americans in the military be formally discontinued. Reactivated in 1947 with Maj. Fukuda as its commanding officer, the 100th Battalion 442nd Infantry is presently the only infantry unit of the U.S. Army Reserve. In 1948, President Harry S. Truman signed Executive Order 9981, abolishing segregation in the Armed Forces.
It felt so special for the 100th Infantry Battalion Clubhouse to be visited by such an important dignitary. The Clubhouse stood proudly when the minister’s motorcade escorted by two police cars approached, and was humbled when Defense Minister Kihara concluded the visit with an offering of osenkō (incense), and requested that we all join him in bowing our heads in prayer, in paying respects to the men of the 100th Infantry Battalion.
Defense Minister Kihara pays respect to the men of the 100th Infantry Battalion with an offering of incense.
Thank you to Defense Minister Kihara and his staff for visiting our 100th Infantry Battalion Clubhouse, and spending the time to allow us to share the history of the 100th.
We extend appreciation to our good friend of the 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans, Hiroyuki Matsumoto, Director of the “Go for Broke! 〜Memories of Hawai’i Japanese ‘Nisei’〜” and “Okagesama de 〜Hawaii Nikkei Women’s Trajectory〜” films, for connecting us with this opportunity.
We are also thankful to Consul General Yoshinori Kodama and his wonderful staff at the Consulate-General of Japan in Honolulu, for their incredible guidance, presence, and support with this visit.
We are deeply grateful for this opportunity to share the story of the 100th Infantry Battalion with Defense Minister Kihara, Consul General Kodama, and their respective teams, and are thankful to the men of the 100th who continue to watch over their beloved Club 100, and guide us to a future where the 100th Infantry Battalion’s identity will be perpetuated and legacy will continue to live on.
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