Gov.-elect David Ige is making news in Japan as the first person of Okinawan descent to be elected a U.S. governor.
Okinawa’s two largest daily newspapers — Ryukyu Shimpo and Okinawa Times — ran front-page stories Thursday about Ige’s win.
"It’s just very nice to have an Okinawan governor in history," said Ryota Shimabukuro, a Ryukyu Shimpo correspondent who came to Honolulu from Washington, D.C., to cover Ige’s win. "It’s going to be a big event if he comes to Okinawa."
Ige is a third-generation Japanese-American, whose paternal grandparents emigrated from Nishihara town in Okinawa, campaign spokeswoman Lynn Kenton said.
Shimabukuro said as an Okinawan residing in the U.S. he is proud that Ige is Okinawan, or Uchinanchu.
"It’s not my success; that’s Ige-san’s success. But many people feel encouraged to see this Uchinanchu succeed," he said. "One hundred and fourteen years ago (the first Okinawan immigrants in Hawaii) had a hard time, but now we have the first Okinawan leader in Hawaii and many Okinawans are very happy with that news."
Ige said by phone Wednesday that he was proud that his family is from Okinawa and acknowledged that his win is "very important to the Okinawan community."
Hawaii’s first Okinawan immigrants were 26 men who arrived in Hawaii in 1900 to work on plantations. They faced whippings from camp supervisors and discrimination from mainland Japanese, who saw them as backward.
Today, there are about 50,000 Okinawans in Hawaii, many of whom hold prominent positions, according to the University of Hawaii’s Center for Okinawan Studies.
Mark Higa, president-elect of the Hawaii United Okinawa Association, said Okinawans in Hawaii are happy to hear "one of their own" will be leading the state, but also appreciate that Ige’s been active in HUOA through the Gaza Yonagusuku club.
"It’s not like he’s new to the community," he said. "He holds a lot of the same values that a lot of Hawaii Okinawans and Okinawans in Okinawa have. That connection right away makes people excited and proud."
Higa said Ige’s win comes at a good time because next year is the 30th anniversary of Hawaii’s and Okinawa’s sister state-prefecture relationship and the 25th anniversary of the Hawaii Okinawa Center, which was built with some funds from Okinawa.
Shimabukuro, of the Ryukyu Shimpo, said Okinawans in Japan have strong feelings for Okinawans in Hawaii because "they helped us so much."
After World War II, Okinawans in Hawaii sent pigs, clothing and other necessities to help Okinawa’s decimated communities recover.
"We have so many connections with (Okinawans in Hawaii)," Shimabukuro said. "They always tried to help us from outside because they are just Okinawan."
Star-Advertiser reporter Derrick DePledge contributed to this report.
