Rob Kajiwara

What should the United Nations be doing to help colonized & oppressed peoples around the world? The 51st Session of the Human Rights Council last week convened a panel discussion on Resolution 48/7 regarding the negative legacies of colonialism on the enjoyment of human rights. That, coupled with the General Assembly’s 2020 Declaration of the Fourth Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism may present new hope that the UN intends to reactivate its decolonization process from its 38-year-long slumber. Is this the dawning of a new era? Or is this just noble-sounding talk? 

Featuring:
Leon Siu (Hawaii)
Robert Kajiwara (Okinawa)
Xiao Junyong (China)
Alfred de Zayas (Geneva)

www.HawaiianKingdom.net
www.PeaceForOkinawa.org 
https://www.claritypress.com/product/building-a-just-world-order/

Okinawa: Voyages of the South Seas [Teaser Trailer] History of the Ryukyu Kingdom's maritime trade network in East and Southeast Asia.

The conflict in Ukraine demonstrates the volatility of world conditions. For generations, the Original Peoples of the Pacific have protested the imposed militarization of our islands by the United States as it puts the people living on our islands in abject danger, and possible annihilation, by America's enemies. The major U.S. military build-up in the Pacific, along with recent mishaps, show that the U.S. has no regard for the people’s safety and welfare, and much less in the event of an attack, especially involving nuclear weapons. In this panel discussion representatives of Hawaii, the Marianas (Guam), and Ryukyu Islands (Okinawa) implore the Human Rights Council to protect our people from being targets in foreign conflicts by demanding the U.S. denuclearize and demilitarize our islands.

UN Human Rights Council 49th Session, 17 March 2022, Geneva, Switzerland
Co-sponsored by the Koani Foundation and the Peace For Okinawa Coalition

Featuring:
Robert Kajiwara, Hoshin Nakamura, Moneka De Oro, Leon Siu, Emily Kandagawa

www.PeaceForOkinawa.org 

Okinawan New Year | ii soogwachi deebiru | Uchinaguchi (Okinawan language)
Happy Lunar New Year! 2022 Year of the Tiger 
いー　そーぐゎち　でーびる！琉球沖縄旧正月 (琉球語・沖縄語・うちなーぐち）

Demilitarizing the Pacific: Ryukyu (Okinawa), Guam / Northern Mariana, Hawaii. For generations the Indigenous peoples of the island nations have been under U.S. military occupation, which is harming our environment and putting us in danger. Now, Native Ryukyuans (Okinawans / Uchinanchu), Chamorro, and Hawaiians have come together to assist each other in our shared goals of demilitarization and self-determination. 

This is a side event for the United Nations Human Rights Council 46th Session, 22 February - 23 March 2021 in Geneva, Switzerland. This event is under the auspices of Incomindios, a Non-Governmental Organization in consultative status with the Economic and Security Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations. It is also co-sponsored by the Koani Foundation and the Peace For Okinawa Coalition. Additional thanks to Our Common Wealth 670 and the Ryukyu Independence Action Network for their assistance. 

Speakers:
Robert Kajiwara, Professor Hoshin Nakamura, Representative Sheila Babauta, H.E. Leon Siu, and Routh Bolomet. 

Robert Kajiwara is Native Ryukyuan (Okinawan / Uchinanchu), and founder and president of the Peace For Okinawa Coalition, a non-profit organization with offices in Okinawa and Hawaii dedicated to promoting Ryukyuan culture, history, languages, and issues. His petition to stop the construction of the military base at Henoko, Okinawa has over 212,000 signatures on it. He has spoken several times at the UN Human Rights Council since 2019. Ph.D. A.B.D., History, Manchester Metropolitan University; M.A., History, University of Nebraska at Kearney; B.A., History, University of Hawaii at Manoa. 

Hoshin Nakamura is professor emeritus of Okinawa University. He is Native Ryukyuan, and survived the Battle of Okinawa in 1945 in which at least one out of every four Okinawans were killed. Professor Nakamura has degrees in Asian Studies from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and Seton Hall University. He taught history at Okinawa University for over 20 years, and has also taught at University of Maryland and University of the Ryukyus. Professor Nakamura has been involved in the Ryukyu independence movement for over five decades. He last spoke at the UN human rights council in 2019. 

Sheila Babauta is Chamorro, the Native people of the Mariana Islands. She is serving as a member of the House of Representatives in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Her longstanding commitment to service is evident through her involvement in organizations such as the Marianas Young Professionals, Talaabwogh StaRs, PRIDE Marianas Youth, Our Common Wealth 670, and Friends of the Marianas Trench. Leadership development remains a priority for her as a current member of the first cohort for Obama Leaders Program: Asia Pacific and recent alum of the sixth cohort for Pacific Century Fellows Program-Marianas Chapter. 

H.E. Leon Kaulahao Siu is Native Hawaiian, and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Hawaiian Kingdom. prominent strategist, advocate and spokesman forHawaii’s independence. Minister Siu is a familiar participant in Geneva at the Human Rights Council and is working to restore or develop new relations between the Hawaiian Kingdom and other states. He is the chair of the Decolonization Alliance based in New York City, a co-author of the book, Modus Vivendi Situation of West Papua and was nominated for the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize. 

Routh Bolomet, a descendant of the royal line of Kamehameha, the original rulers of the Hawaiian Kingdom. As such, she is an heir to the privately-held lands of the Kamehamehas and advocating for the repatriation of lands that were taken and sold illegally under the regimes of the (US) Territory of Hawaii and the present (US) State of Hawaii. 

Okinawa (Ryukyu) has often been called the keystone of security in the Asia-Pacific, yet since 1945 Okinawans have strongly opposed the presence of the U.S. military, including the current building of the controversial military base at Henoko. Both the U.S. and Japan cite the threat of China as reason for the heavy concentration of military on Okinawa, though the majority of Okinawans do not see China as a threat. For over 2,300 years Okinawa and China have maintained peaceful, friendly, mutually-beneficial relations, including over 500 years of formal bilateral relations. An examination of Okinawa's history through primary sources written in the Okinawan languages and through an Okinawan worldview, long overlooked by modern scholars, provide insights into both Okinawa and China, and may help improve cross-cultural understanding, diplomatic, and economic affairs in the Asia-Pacific. 

Presentation at the 49th Southwest Conference on Asian Studies, October 23, 2020. 

Occupied Okinawa.  Discusses Okinawan history, including the Ryukyu Kingdom, the illegal annexation by Japan, the Battle of Okinawa, the U.S. military bases, and the movement to restore Luchu's independence.  

Done for the Master of Asian International Affairs program at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Asian Studies 651: East Asia Now.  Originally presented 7 May 2021 at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. 

With mentions of:

Hoshin Nakamura, Professor Emeritus of history at Okinawa University
Fumiko Shimabuku, Uchinaanchu (Okinawan) peace advocate
Alfred de Zayas, Professor at the Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations and a United Nations official

Is Hawaii really part of the USA?

Talking about the history of Hawaii, including the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893, and the subsequent 1898 illegal annexation of Hawaii by the U.S. without a treaty of annexation. 

Featuring H.E. Leon Kaulahao Siu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Hawaiian Kingdom.

www.HawaiianKingdom.net 

IN 1959 the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 1469 under the mistaken belief that the people of Alaska and Hawaii had exercised their right to self-determination and consented to be integrated into the United States of America as the 49th and 50th States, respectively. The error aided and abetted the United States in its subjugation and pillaging of the people and lands of Alaska and Hawaii; causing serious injury and trauma to three generations people, depriving them of the right to self-governance and the right to determine access to and use of their lands and resources.

This event is part of the United Nations Human Rights Council 48th Session, October 2021 in Geneva, Switzerland. It is under the auspices of Incomindios, an NGO in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations. 

Moderator: 

Robert Kajiwara

Speakers:

Ambassador Ronald Barnes of the Native peoples of Alaska. He was first appointed as the Director of Foreign Relations by the Tununak Elders Council; Chair of Indigenous Peoples and Nations Coalition for Alaska. The entity is designated as the free political institution and is now supported by the vast majority of Tribal Governments in Alaska. Ambassador Barnes resides in Geneva and is the head of mission
for the Alaska decolonization movement. He has worked tirelessly for nearly thirty years in advocacy for the rights of the Indigenous Peoples of Alaska.

Madame Patty Heyano is from Bristol Bay, Dillingham and Aleknagik, Alaska. She participated in the 1992 " Fish-In" when President George HW Bush ordered the state of Alaska not to arrest the Native Alaskan non-violent demonstrators against the illegal state of Alaska and the United States of America. She is currently the Secretary for the Elders Council in Southwest Alaska supporting efforts to gain recognition for Alaska's international legal and political status.

H.E. Leon Kaulahao Siu, Minister of Foreigna Affairs of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Minister Siu is a prominent strategist, advocate and spokesman for Hawaii’s independence. He is a familiar participant in Geneva at the
Human Rights Council and is working to restore or develop new relations
between the Hawaiian Kingdom and other states. He is the chair of the
Decolonization Alliance based in New York City, a co-author of the book,
Modus Vivendi Situation of West Papua and was nominated for the 2017
Nobel Peace Prize. www.HawaiianKingdom.net 

Madame Laulani Teale, a peace builder, activist and musician from Windward O’ahu, one of the Hawaiian Islands.  She is the Coordinator of Ho’opae Pono Peace Project, an Affiliate of Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples.  She is trained in laau lapaau (traditional herbal medicine), ho’oponopono (traditional peace process), and midwifery.  She is also an artist, mother, and community health worker.  She holds a Master’s Degree in Public Health, specializing in community health development and addressing health issues related to colonization and activism. 

Professor Alfred de Zayas of the Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations. He is a leading expert in the field of humanrights and international law and high-ranking United Nations official. He was
the original UN Independent Expert for a Democratic and Equitable
International Order. He is also a former senior lawyer with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Secretary of the Human Rights
Committee, and the Chief of Petitions. He has authored a number of books in several languages. His latest book is "Building a Just World Order" by Clarity Press. 
https://www.claritypress.com/product/building-a-just-world-order/

"Okinawans call for independence at the United Nations." Podcast / audio version of the UN panel presentation (side event) titled "Demilitarizing the Pacific: Ryukyu (Okinawa), Mariana (Guam) and Hawaii," that originally aired 10 March 2021 at the UN Human Rights Council 46th session in Geneva, Switzerland. Sponsored by Incomindios, an NGO in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations. Co-sponsored by the Koani Foundation and the Peace For Okinawa Coalition. Special thanks to OCW670 and the Ryukyu Independence Action Network. 

This presentation discusses Luchu (Okinawan) history, including the ongoing illegal occupation by both the U.S. and Japan. Also discussed are the issues relating to U.S. military bases in Okinawa, including the construction of the military base at Henoko. 

Speakers: 
Robert Kajiwara and Hoshin Nakamura

Hoshin Nakamura is professor emeritus of Okinawa University. He is Native Ryukyuan, and survived the Battle of Okinawa in 1945 in which at least one out of every four Okinawans were killed. Professor Nakamura has degrees in Asian Studies from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and Seton Hall University. He taught history at Okinawa University for over 20 years, and has also taught at University of Maryland and University of the Ryukyus. Professor Nakamura has been involved in the Ryukyu independence movement for over five decades. Since 2019 he has been a frequent representative of Ryukyu / Okinawan rights at the United Nations.