To honor Etsu Masaoka and her late husband Mike Masaoka, Ambassador and Mrs. Ryozo Kato hosted a dinner party for 22 guests at their Washington residence on the evening of Monday, November 29th.
In his remarks, Ambassador Kato said that “Mike Masaoka was the most famous and influential Japanese American of his time and he played a major role in shaping the history of Japanese Americans during and after World War II. In recounting the extraordinary life of Mike Masaoka, it is almost inconceivable that one person could have such influence on so many.”
Ambassador Kato then said that “we must recognize what Etsu Masaoka has meant not only for her husband and family, but what a vital role that she, like her husband, has played in creating closer ties between the U.S. and Japan. I cannot possibly express in words what she has meant to all of us.”
The Ambassador continued by expressing “the gratitude of the Japanese people to the thousands of Issei and Nisei who had to endure tremendous difficulties as a result of World War II. They started from scratch but with a ‘gambatte’ spirit, they became productive and valued members of American society.”
Among the invited guests were Etsu Masaoka and her granddaughter Michelle Amano, Secretary and Mrs. Norman Mineta, Mr. Grant Ujifusa, and friends and members of Masaoka and Mineta families.
[Related Link]
* Speech by Ambassador Kato at the Japanese American Citizens League on August 12, 2004
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