Consul General Kamo’s Remarks 
for the 2012 Spring Imperial Decoration Award Ceremony 
June 5, 2011, 10:30 a.m., Official Residence

Mr. Robert Toshio Naksone
Family members, friends, and supporters,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning and alo-ha!       

It is a great honor and privilege for me to organize and take part in this presentation ceremony of Imperial Decoration conferred upon Mr. Bob Nakasone.

On behalf of His Majesty the Emperor of Japan and the Government of Japan, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to Mr. Nakasone for his tireless efforts and steadfast commitment to furthering the bonds of friendship and cooperation shared between peoples of Japan and Hawaii.

Mr. Bob Nakasone, currently serving as Adjunct Project Coordinator of the Obuchi Program at the East-West Center, is being presented with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays, for his contributions to the promotion of business and academic exchanges between Japan and Hawaii, Japan and the United States, and globally.

Mr. Nakasone founded the Hawaii Uchinanchu Business Group in 1993, going on to found the Worldwide Uchinanchu Business Association in 1997 and thus expanding its business network to cover 22 chapters around the world. The Worldwide Uchinanchu Business Association has been stimulating exchanges among overseas Okinawan communities and strengthening their connections with Okinawa. Under Mr. Nakasone’s leadership and guidance, the Association has organized a regular series of international meetings, and has established a scholarship program for young people of Okinawan descent. In 1999, Mr. Nakasone joined the East-West Center as Adjunct Project Coordinator. The following year, during the G-8 Summit in Nago City, Okinawa, then U.S. President Bill Clinton took initiative to launch a special program at the East West Center for promoting business and education in Okinawa. The program was named after the late Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi who brought the G-8 Summit to Okinawa but passed away a few months before the Summit. Since the inception of the program, Mr.Nakasone has been offering his best efforts to the “Obuchi Okinawa Education and Research Program” which provides opportunities for Okinawan students and scholars to study and do research at the East-West Center. Another notable accomplishment by Mr. Nakasone in the academic arena is that he played the key role in establishing the University of Hawaii’s Center for Okinawan Studies in 2008. Since then he has been actively engaged in the work of the Center as Adviser.

Mr. Nakasone is a proud Uchinanchu, of course, but he is also a favorite son of the local Japanese American community. Mr. Nakasone has been active over the years in the local Japanese-American community, serving in various capacities within many organizations. Among others, he served as President of the United Japanese Society, Chairman of the Business Economic Development Committee of the Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce, and Executive Director of the Hawaii Okinawa Center. Mr. Nakasone’s contributions in the local business and academic sectors have been impressive and certainly gone a long way to liven up the local Japanese American community.

It is obvious that Mr. Nakasone’s contributions have not been made possible without support and understanding of his family members and friends. I would like to mention, particularly, his late mother, who passed away late last year at the age of 101. She would have been most proud of her son for his today’s honor.

It is our sincere hope that Mr. Nakasone will continue to lend his steadfast focus and defined leadership to the betterment of the relationship between Hawaii and Japan in the coming years. 

Congratulations!