Interviews

1. Getting involved in the family business at age 19

2. A body, mind and spirit work ethic

3. Postwar discrimination

4. Less information about Hawai‘i in mainland

5. Family first

6. Being accepted as biracial family

7. Preserving tradition becoming more difficult

8. To be “100 % Japanese”

Bert A. Kobayashi

(b.1944) Founder of Kobayashi Group, LLC

Postwar discrimination

I was like 5, 6 years old, I was going kindergarten, 1st, 2nd grade, you know. A lot of local kids they used to call us “Japs”. “You guys killed all our friends” and stuff. It was very difficult. At one point, I hate all my race because I feel, Jesus Christ, I never did nothing all of a sudden these guys all hate us. We’d get beat up, you know, it wasn’t that easy… I think after I was maybe in the 8th grade, 9th grade. It was getting better and better.

Time basically lets you forget, right? Not for me, but for whoever else is doing this stuff. And I’m sure they felt that a lot of their relatives who passed away…I mean I don’t know. They blamed the people…same thing like now with the Arabs, right? Men get beat up because after 9/11. It’s just race-related because you don’t know who your enemy. Korean War, Vietnamese War – you don’t know who the enemy. Even now, right?

discrimination interpersonal relations racism

Date: June 1, 2006

Location: Hawai`i, US

Interviewer: Akemi Kikumura Yano

Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

Interviewee Bio

Bert A. Kobayashi, founder of the Kobayashi Group LLC, was born in Honolulu, Hawaii on November 10, 1944. He is a third generation Japanese American whose parents were also born and raised in Hawai‘i. At the age of 19, his father Albert fell ill and Bert was suddenly introduced to the difficult realities of running a business when he took over the construction company founded by his father. Bert eventually guided the business to become the largest local construction company in Hawai‘i, selling the business to a group of employees in 1997. He then founded the Kobayashi Development Group, serving as chairman until his retirement, and continues to be an advisor to the company led by his son, B.J. Kobayashi, who serves as CEO and president. Bert is known throughout the state of Hawai‘i for his generous philanthropic efforts such as starting the University of Hawai‘i Foundation and has been an active member on numerous community and educational boards. (2007年3月1日）

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