Us Congress 2025-2026 Regular Session

Us Congress House Bill HR29 Compare Versions

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Old	New	Differences
1	1	IV
2	2	119THCONGRESS
3	3	1
4	4	STSESSION H. RES. 29
5	5	Recognizing the 125th anniversary of organized Okinawan immigration to
6	6	the United States.
7	7	IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
8	8	JANUARY9, 2025
9	9	Ms. T
10	10	OKUDA(for herself, Mr. CASE, and Ms. SA´NCHEZ) submitted the fol-
11	11	lowing resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and
12	12	Government Reform
13	13	RESOLUTION
14	14	Recognizing the 125th anniversary of organized Okinawan
15	15	immigration to the United States.
16	16	Whereas, on January 8, 1900, 26 contract laborers from the
17	17	island of Okinawa led by Mr. Kyuzo Toyama arrived in
18	18	Honolulu, Hawai’i, aboard the S.S. City of China, mark-
19	19	ing the first organized immigration of Okinawan people
20	20	to the United States;
21	21	Whereas the first Okinawan to arrive in the United States
22	22	was Mr. Keizo Kawatsu, who arrived in the United
23	23	States in 1889 through Vancouver, Canada, passing
24	24	through Los Angeles, California, before settling in Phoe-
25	25	nix, Arizona;
26	26	Whereas the territory of Hawai’i was a major destination for
27	27	organized Okinawan migration in a diaspora that has
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30	30	•HRES 29 IH
31	31	since extended across North America, South America,
32	32	and beyond;
33	33	Whereas there is estimated to be over 100,000 people of Oki-
34	34	nawan descent living in the United States, with approxi-
35	35	mately half of that number residing in the State of Ha-
36	36	wai’i;
37	37	Whereas the Okinawan community has made significant con-
38	38	tributions to government, business, the military, edu-
39	39	cation, and other sectors in the United States;
40	40	Whereas, during the Second World War, American soldiers of
41	41	Okinawan heritage fought bravely alongside Japanese
42	42	American nisei soldiers in the 442d Regimental Combat
43	43	Team, the 100th Infantry Battalion, the 552d Field Ar-
44	44	tillery Battalion, and the Military Intelligence Service;
45	45	Whereas, during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945,
46	46	servicemembers of Okinawan heritage in the Military In-
47	47	telligence Service engaged in life-saving translation and
48	48	interpretation services to convince the local population to
49	49	surrender to United States forces, allowing the distribu-
50	50	tion of humanitarian aid to the local population that had
51	51	suffered greatly during the war;
52	52	Whereas to provide further humanitarian aid to Okinawa fol-
53	53	lowing the Second World War, Okinawan Americans
54	54	gathered donations and worked with the United States
55	55	military to deliver shipments of clothes, medicine, school
56	56	supplies, and livestock to Okinawa;
57	57	Whereas Okinawan Americans have established community
58	58	cultural organizations to promote collaboration and diver-
59	59	sity across the country, including in over 50 Okinawan
60	60	Kenjinkai organizations in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona,
61	61	California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawai’i, Illinois,
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64	64	•HRES 29 IH
65	65	Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Min-
66	66	nesota, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, New Mexico,
67	67	New York, Oregon, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Wash-
68	68	ington, and the District of Columbia;
69	69	Whereas Okinawan Americans have held top positions in gov-
70	70	ernment, business, the military, and education, includ-
71	71	ing—
72	72	(1) the Honorable David Ige, former Governor of the
73	73	State of Hawai’i, the first Okinawan American elected
74	74	Governor of a United States State;
75	75	(2) General (ret.) Paul Nakasone, former Com-
76	76	mander of United States Cyber Command and former
77	77	Director of the National Security Agency, the first four-
78	78	star General of Okinawan ancestry;
79	79	(3) Mr. Keith Hayashi, Superintendent of the Ha-
80	80	wai’i State Department of Education;
81	81	(4) Mr. David Roberts, Manager of the Los Angeles
82	82	Dodgers, the first Manager of Asian heritage to lead a
83	83	team to the World Series and to a World Series title;
84	84	(5) Mr. Mark Taira, Chief Executive Officer and
85	85	President of King’s Hawaiian Bakery;
86	86	(6) Mr. Roy Yamaguchi, celebrity chef and
87	87	restauranteur;
88	88	(7) Ms. Lynne Yoshiko Nakasone, Okinawan dance
89	89	performer, choreographer, and instructor recognized by
90	90	the National Endowment for the Arts as a National Her-
91	91	itage Fellow in 2012;
92	92	(8) Mr. Jake Shimabukuro, ukulele virtuoso and
93	93	composer; and
94	94	(9) Ms. Tamilyn Tomita, actress;
95	95	Whereas Okinawan Americans have perpetuated their unique
96	96	cultural identity, history, and indigenous languages as
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100	100	recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific
101	101	and Cultural Organization (UNESCO);
102	102	Whereas Okinawa is the birthplace of karate, and Okinawan
103	103	immigrants introduced and spread the martial art and its
104	104	distinct styles, including Shorin-Ryu, Goju-Ryu, Uechi-
105	105	Ryu, and Shito-Ryu, to Hawai’i, the United States, and
106	106	the world;
107	107	Whereas the year 2025 also marks the anniversary of many
108	108	sister-State and sister-city relationships between Okinawa
109	109	and the United States, including—
110	110	(1) the 40th anniversary of the Hawai’i-Okinawa
111	111	Sister State Relationship;
112	112	(2) the 65th anniversary of the Honolulu-Naha Sis-
113	113	ter City Relationship;
114	114	(3) the 62d anniversary of the Kauai County-
115	115	Ishigaki Sister City Relationship;
116	116	(4) the 60th anniversary of the Maui County-
117	117	Miyakojima Sister City Relationship;
118	118	(5) the 39th anniversary of the Hawai’i County-
119	119	Nago Sister City Relationship;
120	120	(6) the 23d anniversary of the Lakewood, Wash-
121	121	ington-Okinawa City Sister City Relationship;
122	122	(7) the 14th anniversary of the Hawai’i County-
123	123	Kumejima Sister City Relationship;
124	124	(8) the 12th anniversary of the Redondo Beach,
125	125	California-Itoman City Sister City Relationship; and
126	126	(9) the 5th anniversary of the Honolulu-Kin Friend-
127	127	ship Agreement; and
128	128	Whereas Okinawan Americans will continue to perpetuate
129	129	and share their unique cultural identity and heritage and
130	130	foster deeper relationships between the peoples of Oki-
131	131	nawa and the United States: Now, therefore, be it
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135	135	Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1
136	136	(1) recognizes the 125th anniversary of Oki-2
137	137	nawan immigration to the United States and the 3
138	138	historic contributions of Okinawan Americans to the 4
139	139	Nation; 5
140	140	(2) reaffirms the unique cultural and people-to- 6
141	141	people ties between the United States and Okinawa; 7
142	142	and 8
143	143	(3) urges the people of the United States to 9
144	144	honor the 125th anniversary of Okinawan immigra-10
145	145	tion to the United States with appropriate programs 11
146	146	and activities. 12
147	147	Æ
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