~ “Nikkei” in Palau~ Interview Series: Vol.36 Mr. Jonathan Masaharu Sabo Bultedaob

Mr. Jonathan Masaharu Sabo Bultedaob, now 80 years old, is a Palauan of Japanese descent, commonly referred to as Nikkei. He was born to Ms. Teiko “Tekosang” Ngirairikl, and a Japanese man named Mr. Ogata, from Osaka, Japan. Mr. Bultedaob’s father was a carpenter who served in the Japanese military in Palau. Mr. Bultedaob has many half siblings on his mother’s side but he does not know of any siblings from his biological father’s side. Mr. Bultedaob is married to Mrs. Augusta Bultedaob and they are blessed with seven children, seven grandchildren and four great grandchildren. 
 
Born in 1945, Mr. Bultedaob still remembers the old buildings in Koror that have been there since the Japanese occupation in Palau, such as the Bureau of Land and Survey, the Palau Supreme Court, and Palau Community College.
 
Mr. Bultedaob attended Ngiwal Elementary School from first to fifth grade, completed sixth grade at Koror Elementary School, and then attended Palau Intermediate School (now the Palau Community College building) in Koror for three years before continuing on to Palau High School. He graduated from Alliant International University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Diversified Liberal Studies. He also attended a short program at the University of Hawaii and received his Licentiate Diploma in TESOL (a qualification awarded in the teaching of English to speakers of other languages) from Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand.
 
Most of his career involved teaching for many years until he retired in 1999, after 30 years of civil service. He taught at Ngiwal Elementary, Koror Elementary, GB Harris Elementary, and even served as the Principal of Ngiwal Elementary School for seven years. In 1966, Mr. Bultedaob was assigned to teach at Colonia Elementary School in Pohnpei for one year. After he retired from the government, he was hired to work as a mediator for the Palau Supreme Court, assisting in solving disputes regarding land ownership.
 
He always had the desire to visit Japan someday and even sought help from the Embassy of Japan in Palau, to try and locate his biological father, Mr. Ogata. He was informed by the Embassy that it would be very difficult to locate his father with only his last name and no other documents that would help in identifying him. Mr. Bultedaob has transited through Japan airports several times and hopes that someday he can visit Japan.  
 
Mr. Bultedaob shared that his favorite artists are Ms. Misora Hibari and Mr. Frank Nagai. His favorite Japanese food are sushi, curry and nitsuke. He never had the chance to study Japanese language but knows some Spanish words, which he learned in Palau high school.
 
Mr. Bultedaob shared his thoughts on the diplomatic relations between Japan and Palau which celebrated its 30^th Anniversary in 2024. He feels that the relations between Japan and Palau is quite strong and hopes that it will continue for many years.