“Nikkei” in Palau~ Interview Series: Vol.31 Mr. Kenneth T. Uyehara

Mr. Kenneth T. Uyehara, born in 1957 and now 68 years old, is a Palauan of Japanese descent. His father, Mr. Harry Kaoru Uyehara, is a second-generation Japanese American, whose family is originally from Itoman prefecture in Okinawa.  His mother, Ms. Marianne Teiko Uyehara, is from Angaur State in Palau. In the 1950s, Mr. Uyehara’s father, then a cultural anthropologist, came to Palau to study the traditional customs of Angaur State. It was during this time that he met and later married Ms. Marianne Teiko.
 
Mr. Uyehara is married to Ms. Eileen Uyehara and they are blessed with two children and four grandchildren.
 
Mr. Uyehara spent his early childhood in Palau with his grandparents, attended elementary school in Yap and Saipan, and later graduated from Hawaii Preparatory Academy. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degrees with Majors in Biology, General Science, and Business Administration from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
 
He began his career in finance as a branch manager for Associates Financial Services and Bank of Hawaii, which brought him from Hawaii to Guam. There, he transitioned into real estate with American Realty Inc. and earned an MBA from the University of Guam. Inspired by his work, he co-founded Micronesian Appraisal Associates Inc., which became the largest appraisal firm in Micronesia. He and his partner also expanded into other ventures, including gas stations, Ice Cream restaurant chains, and several businesses. He joined the US Air National Guard in Hawaii and served as a reserve officer in the United States Air Force until his retirement on Guam with the rank of Major. 　
 
Mr. Uyehara returned to Palau as a businessman in 2004 and in 2009 joined the Palau Public Utilities Corporation under a two-year contract. Near the end of his term, his business partner in Guam fell seriously ill, prompting him to return and manage their company. After six months of traveling between Guam and Palau, he handed over the business to his junior associate, Mr. Vance Reklai. In 2017, he was elected Governor of Angaur State for a two-year term. After the pandemic, he retired, closed his appraisal business in Palau, and moved to Angaur with his wife. He recently relocated to Koror after being hired as the Administrative Director of the Palau Judiciary.
 
He shared that, according to the Okinawa Association in Hawaii, people with the surnames Uyehara and Uehara are all related and trace back to the same prefecture in Okinawa. Although he does not speak Japanese, he has always been interested in the language. He jokes that his “parents used to speak Japanese to each other when they did not want the children to understand.” During his time in the Air Force, he visited Okinawa around five times for training and conferences. He recalled a humorous moment when a cook from Okinawa, seeing his name tag, began excitedly speaking to him in Okinawan. When Mr. Uyehara could not understand, the cook became frustrated and returned to the kitchen. That was when he realized Okinawa had its own language.
 
He admires Japan for its orderliness, consideration for others, and self-discipline. His father’s side of the family often prepared Okinawan dishes, a tradition his sister still continues. He noted with surprise that Okinawans eat less rice compared to people in mainland Japan.
 
Reflecting on the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Palau, Mr. Uyehara expressed his appreciation for the long-standing friendship between the two nations.