Fredick Kinzaburo Makino

Abstract

Recently, the Honolulu Press Club announced its recommendations of candidates to its proposed "Hall of Fame for Hawaii Journalists." Fredrick Kinzaburo "Fred” Makino was one of the nine named. He was described as the "crusading founder of the Hawaii Hochi, a newspaper founded to give Japanese readers an independent voice," and a man, "particularly active in fighting discrimination against minority groups. Fred Makino has been the recipient of this and many other honors. His name is still well known even though nearly two decades have passed since his death. However, to the author's dismay, very little has been written upon this man who certainly must rank high upon the list of the most influential Japanese leaders in local history. Makino's legacy is a rich and varied one. Through his position as the publisher of the Hawaii Hochi, founded in 1912, he emerged as one of the most influential local Japanese leaders during the pre-World War II period. In an era of Japanese submissiveness and docility, he was a rebel. He constantly fought for the "underdog" in a number of causes, ranging from the 1909 labor strike to the sensational Fukunaga case. His concerns were by no means limited to the local or strictly Japanese level. The Hochi commented unafraid upon both national and international issues, and was always ready to defend anyone who had a just cause regardless of race.