Congratulations!
Dr. Kelli Y. Nakamura (Associate Professor of History) and Brandon Marc Higa (Director of Resource Development) were selected for publication in the current issue of The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus. Kelli and Brandon’s article, The Hawai‘i Connection: Okinawa’s Postwar Reconstruction and Uchinanchu Identity, discusses the impacts of U.S. soft diplomacy efforts through non-governmental organizations following World War II on diasporic Okinawan immigrant communities in Hawaiʻi.
Co-author Brandon Marc Higa provided a legal framework for the article to discuss Okinawans as a distinct immigrant population from mainland Japanese to support Nakamura’s analysis of the unique identity formed by the diffusion of U.S. soft diplomacy priorities through local non-profit institutions. Higa’s contributions expand upon his doctoral work on Japanese constitutional issues in Okinawa Prefecture. They are featured in comments regarding the adoption of Japan’s postwar constitution and Okinawan landowner’s rights concerning leases to Japan to continue hosting U.S. military bases.
Nakamura and Higa successfully applied for a federal grant from the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs to build awareness of the impacts of militarism in Hawaiʻi and Okinawa. Nakamura is redesigning her Ethnic Studies 101 course to be offered as a summer institute featuring policymakers and experts on the U.S. military presence in Okinawa in the Summer of 2023.
Related links:
- The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus, https://apjjf.org/
- 2022 IDEAS Grant Finalists, https://www.studyabroadcapacitybuilding.org/ideas-grant-competition/grantee-profiles/#2022-grant-competition-finalists
- International Education, Study Abroad Gets Boost at Kapi‘olani CC, University of Hawai‘i News (Aug. 9, 2022), https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2022/08/09/kapiolani-ideas-grant/