~”Nikkei” in Palau~ Interview Series: Vol.# 28 Ms. Yumie Morishita

Ms. Yumie Morishita (47 years old) is a second-generation Japanese-Palauan. Her father, Mr. Morishita Seiichiro, came from Saitama, Japan, and her mother is Ms. Christina Osilek Morishita. In the 1970s, her father moved to Palau to work at a “katsuo-bushi” (bonito flakes) factory. He married Ms. Christina Osilek Morishita and continued to live in Palau all his life. After the factory closed, he became a crab catcher in Ngatpang. Although the family mostly lived in Koror and Airai, he frequently traveled to Ngatpang to catch mangrove crabs. Ms. Morishita remembers her father as  softspoken, ambitious, hardworking, and that he was well known for his skill in crab catching.
 
Mr. Morishita did not speak English so Japanese was the primary language spoken at home, allowing both Ms. Yumie and her mother to become fluent in conversational Japanese. However, Ms. Morishita admits that she has started to forget some words and phrases, as she doesn't use the language as often since her father's passing.
 
Ms. Morishita visited her half-sister, Ms. Yuko Morishita and her father`s younger sister in Japan. Her half-sister also visited Palau with her two sons. Ms. Morishita laughed while recalling how they struggled to communicate, often mixing English and Japanese, which led to amusing conversations. While in Japan, she especially enjoyed the mochi, fresh fruits, shopping, and the warm hospitality of the Japanese people. 
 
Ms. Morishita attended the Seventh Day Adventist Academy, Palau High School, and later pursued higher education at the University of Guam, where she earned a bachelor's degree in International Tourism and a Master of Business Administration. After graduating, she returned to Palau to be close to her parents. She worked for the Ministry of Health as a social marketing specialist for a couple of years before she moved to the tourism sector contributing over 18 years working at Palau Visitors Authority and Palau Pacific Resort. When the pandemic hit, tourism in Palau significantly slowed and eventually came to a halt. As a result, Ms. Morishita decided to change her career path to focus on community based projects and now works for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) as a national programme officer focusing on migration policy .
 
As Japan and Palau celebrated 30 years of friendship last year, we asked Ms. Morishita on her thoughts regarding diplomatic relations between our two countries. Ms. Morishita thinks that the Japan and Palau relationship is moving in the right direction. She expressed her appreciation for the many projects and support provided by the Japanese government, as well as the efforts of the Embassy of Japan to trace the Japanese roots of Palauan’s. She hopes these initiatives will continue to bridge the gap between older and younger generations and further strengthen the bond between Japan and Palau.