Ryusuke Kawai

@ryusukekawai

This page may include translations provided by Google Translate. [Original]

Journalist and non-fiction writer. Born in Kanagawa Prefecture. Graduated from the Faculty of Law at Keio University, he worked as a reporter for the Mainichi Shimbun before going independent. His books includeYamato Colony: The Men Who Left Japan in Florida(Shunpousha). He translated the monumental work of Japanese American literature,No-No Boy(Shunpousha). The English version ofYamato Colony, won the 2021 Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore Award for the best book on ethnic groups or social issues from the Florida Historical Society.

Updated November 2021

Stories from This Author

On Nikkei

Part 58: Memoirs of an Italian girl in a Japanese internment camp — Dacia Maraini's "My Life"

March 14, 2025 • Ryusuke Kawai

Similarities with the internment of Japanese Americans Just as there were facilities in the United States, Canada and Australia that forcibly interned citizens of the enemy country, Japan, too, had similar facilities for people from enemy countries during World War II. Although it is not widely known, one of these was the concentration camp for Italians in Nagoya. Italy was an ally of Japan along with Germany, as seen in the Tripartite Pact, so some may wonder why Italians were …

Aichi Prefecture identity Italians Japan Nagoya World War II World War II camps

On Nikkei

Part 57 (2) Pursuing a world where cultures intersect

Feb. 28, 2025 • Ryusuke Kawai

Read Part 57 (Part 1) Since her experience studying abroad in the United States in the 1970s, Awaya Nobuko has been concerned with issues of identity, and has since traveled the world to study minorities and intercultural communication. In recent years, she has been launching art projects based in Chihanan in Izu, her hometown. We spoke to her about the content and intentions of her activities. * * * * * A cross between the past and the future, Japan …

arts culture identity Japanese music minorities multiculturalism music performing arts

On Nikkei

Part 57 (1) Pursuing a world where cultures intersect

Feb. 14, 2025 • Ryusuke Kawai

Since her experience studying abroad in the United States in the 1970s, Nobuko Awaya has been concerned with issues of identity, and has since traveled the world to study minorities and intercultural communication. In recent years, she has been launching art projects based in Chihanan in Izu, her hometown. We spoke to her about her intercultural experiences and her work to this day, focusing on her involvement with the Japanese community. As the only Japanese student studying abroad Kawai: How …

artists education educational exchanges exchange students international education Japanese Americans Seattle student exchange programs students teachers teaching United States Washington World War II camps

On Nikkei

Part 56 Japanese in Kamchatka before the war

Jan. 10, 2025 • Ryusuke Kawai

From the research of Michi Horie Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Japanese researchers studying the historical relationship between Russia and Japan have expressed confusion and concern. One such researcher is Kyoto resident Machi Horie, whose grandfather and father emigrated to Vladivostok and Kamchatka before the war and ran a store there. Based on some of the research she has compiled and similar research that has been sent to her, I would like to introduce the activities of Japanese people in …

aquaculture canneries fisheries food processing plants prewar Russia Vladivostok

On Nikkei

Part 55 (2) An interview with Yumiko Murakami, one of the first to focus on Asian America

Dec. 27, 2024 • Ryusuke Kawai

Read Part 55 (1) Murakami Yumiko, a writer and researcher of ethnic culture, has been reporting on Japanese and Asian Americans since the 1970s and has published non-fiction and other books based on her findings. We continue to speak to her about the track record and significance of her many years of reporting and research on the theme of Asian America. Discrimination in movies Kawai : You seem to focus particularly on the world of theater and film within the …

Asian American studies authors discrimination ethnic studies Hollywood films interpersonal relations prejudices writers

On Nikkei

Part 55 (1) An interview with Yumiko Murakami, one of the first to focus on Asian America

Dec. 13, 2024 • Ryusuke Kawai

Murakami Yumiko, a writer and researcher of ethnic culture, has been reporting on Japanese Americans and Asian Americans since the 1970s and publishing the results of her research in non-fiction and other books. We spoke to her about the track record and significance of her many years of reporting and research on the theme of Asian America. Meeting with picture book author Taro Yashima Kawai : Could you tell us about the historical flow of the research and interviews you …

Asian Americans authors Japanese Americans Taro Yashima

On Nikkei

Part 54 (2) The History of a Japanese Family in Florida

Nov. 22, 2024 • Ryusuke Kawai

Read Part 54 (1) From "The Story of Ichiro Omaye" Last time , we introduced the history of the Omaye family, who ran a farm in Florida, USA, based on the writings of their descendant, Omaye Kosei, who now lives in Kyoto. Kosei's grandfather, Omaye Kyujiro, left his hometown in the mountains of Hyogo Prefecture and traveled to the USA in 1903 (Meiji 36) to repay his debts. He initially worked on the West Coast, but later moved to Jacksonville …

family histories Florida genealogy Jacksonville (Florida) Story of Ichiro Omaye (book) United States

On Nikkei

Part 54 (1) The History of a Japanese Family in Florida

Nov. 8, 2024 • Ryusuke Kawai

A story of three generations of the Omaye family A few years ago, Mr. Kosei Omaye, who lives in Kyoto City, sent me a copy of his book "The Story of Ichiro Omaye" (Zou no Mori Shobo), a family history of the Omaye family with ties to Florida in the United States. Mr. Omaye knew that I had previously written a non-fiction book about Japanese immigrants to Florida called "Yamato Colony: The Men Who Left Japan in Florida" (Shunposha). Immigration …

family histories farmers genealogy generations immigrants immigration Issei Japan migration pioneers prewar Story of Ichiro Omaye (book)

On Nikkei

Part 53: What is Asian America?

Oct. 25, 2024 • Ryusuke Kawai

Start by knowing When the new coronavirus, which was first identified in Wuhan, China, also raged in the United States, President Trump and other senior members of his administration called it the "China virus." The virus became associated with China, and then with Asia. As a result, there were frequent incidents of attacks and discrimination against people of Chinese and other Asian descent in the United States. Examples of this discrimination against Asians in the United States include the anti-Asian …

Asian Americans book reviews ethnicity group identity identity reviews

On Nikkei

Part 52 (3) Connecting Japan and the World through English Rakugo - Following Kanariya Eiraku at the St. Louis Japan Festival

Oct. 11, 2024 • Ryusuke Kawai

Read Part 2 Rakugo in English - Rakumei-ya Eiraku is spreading English Rakugo to the Japanese community and around the world. He was recently invited to perform an English Rakugo performance at the St. Louis Japan Festival in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Eiraku is also knowledgeable about Asian American culture, so we asked him what first got him interested in English and multiculturalism, and what kind of activities he has been involved in in this field. Encountering the Ainu language …