~“Nikkei” in Palau~ Interview Series: Vol.#22 Mr. Leon Gulibert
2024/12/30
Mr. Leon Gulibert, 64 years old, is a third generation of Japanese descent born to Mr. Masao Endo and Ms. Haruko Akitaya. Both parents have Japanese fathers from Tochigi Prefecture. Many Japanese from Tochigi came to Angaur before the war while many from Ibaraki went to Peleliu. Mr. Leon Gulibert’s mother’s elder brother, Mr. Toshiwo Akitaya visited Angaur after the war.
Mr. Gulibert has been to Japan three times. On his first trip, he went with his wife, who is also of Japanese descent, to visit their relatives and the other two trips were business trips. On those trips he visited Tokyo and Kyoto. He says, “during my work visits I liked the food especially seafood and ramen”.
He worked for the Angaur State Legislature for many years. He was a staff for the state office during the time when they decided to add Japanese language in their constitution as an official language. When asked why Japanese became the official language of Angaur he said, “because at that time many people in Angaur spoke and wrote Japanese”. There was a Japanese school that was located across the Angaur Community Center where people of Angaur went to school and studied Japanese.
Mr. Gulibert’s father, Mr, Masao Endo had frequent visitors who were part of ireidan in the 70’s from Japan like Mr. Fumio Funasaka and Mr. Kurata who were pivotal in the construction of a Japanese monument in Angaur. The monument has been moved four times but it now sits on Mr. Guibert’s property. A key detail about the monument is that it was built to face north toward Japan.
As this year marks the 30th year anniversary for Japan and Palau’s diplomatic relations, Mr. Leon Gulibert believes that Japan and Palau have “similarities in their cultures”, especially food and for Angaur, they still do undokai (sports day) annually. Japan doesn’t seem so far away anymore due to the technology, and it is more convenient for both countries to continue to maintain good friendship.
Mr. Gulibert has been to Japan three times. On his first trip, he went with his wife, who is also of Japanese descent, to visit their relatives and the other two trips were business trips. On those trips he visited Tokyo and Kyoto. He says, “during my work visits I liked the food especially seafood and ramen”.
He worked for the Angaur State Legislature for many years. He was a staff for the state office during the time when they decided to add Japanese language in their constitution as an official language. When asked why Japanese became the official language of Angaur he said, “because at that time many people in Angaur spoke and wrote Japanese”. There was a Japanese school that was located across the Angaur Community Center where people of Angaur went to school and studied Japanese.
Mr. Gulibert’s father, Mr, Masao Endo had frequent visitors who were part of ireidan in the 70’s from Japan like Mr. Fumio Funasaka and Mr. Kurata who were pivotal in the construction of a Japanese monument in Angaur. The monument has been moved four times but it now sits on Mr. Guibert’s property. A key detail about the monument is that it was built to face north toward Japan.
As this year marks the 30th year anniversary for Japan and Palau’s diplomatic relations, Mr. Leon Gulibert believes that Japan and Palau have “similarities in their cultures”, especially food and for Angaur, they still do undokai (sports day) annually. Japan doesn’t seem so far away anymore due to the technology, and it is more convenient for both countries to continue to maintain good friendship.