JA Activist Yuri Kochiyama Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

By AMY E. IKEDA, Special to the Pacific Citizen

July 15, 2005 - Yuri Kochiyama, 84, may appear a typical friendly Japanese American grandmother, but she has lead anything but an average life. This grandmother of nine was recently nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, an honor in recognition of her work for over four decades at the forefront of social justice movements alongside activists such as Malcolm X.

“Getting a Nobel Peace Award would be the last thing I would think of,” said Kochiyama. “I found out through a phone call that I was nominated. I thought someone was trying to be funny, playing a joke. But it turned out to really be a woman researcher for the Nobel Peace Prize Committee.”

Kochiyama is one of the women nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize through the “1,000 Women for the Nobel Peace Prize 2005” project. The $3.8 million project, initiated by Gaby Vermont-Mangold, a member of the Swiss Parliament, collectively nominates 1,000 women to signify the underrepresented accomplishments of tireless women working for peace around the world.

Three women have already been selected by the project committee and will represent the 1,000 women. As a symbolic nomination, their identities will not be released unless one wins. Since the first Nobel Peace Prize in 1901 only 12 women have won.

Kochiyama is among the 40 women nominees from the United States. If the 1,000 women nominees are awarded, Kochiyama will be the first Japanese American woman recipient.

“Yuri is someone who has dedicated her life to ensuring peace in this world and is well deserving of this consideration,” said John Tateishi, JACL executive director. “As a fellow Japanese American, I’m very proud of Yuri’s nomination, however the results might be. Her being nominated puts her in the ranks of some of the women of the world who have made great contributions to the world.”

Kochiyama believes the Nobel Peace Prize should be used for life sustaining causes. If she could, Kochiyama would use the monies to rebuild the devastation natural disasters have inflicted on land and people. While Kochiyama is grateful that the project is a collective nomination that will give more women a chance to be recognized, she dose not shy away from speaking critically about the Nobel Peace Prize.

”The Nobel Peace Prize is suppose to stand as a prize for those who did exceptional work for peace,” said Kochiyama. “There have been controversies over the names of past recipients. I believe that there were several recipients that were horrible choices and did not work for peace.  The worst recipients were Theodore Roosevelt and Henry Kissinger and the worst nominees were George Bush senior and Tony Blair.”

A trailblazer, Kochiyama has always stood up for what she believes, creating bridges with many ethnic groups through her work for social justice. A Nisei, Kochiyama was born in 1921 as Mary Yuriko Nakahara in San Pedro, California. The day Pearl Harbor was bombed, like many JA community leaders, Kochiyama’s father was taken away to a federal prison without a fair trial. After much interrogation and lack of medical attention her father passed away.

Kochiyama, along with 120,000 other JAs during WWII was forced into concentration camp. At Rohwer Camp in Jerome, Arkansas she met her husband Bill Kochiyama, a 442nd solider. After the war they lived with their six children in Harlem where Kochiyama met Malcolm X. The Kochiyamas supported Redress for JAs who were interned during WWII and the development of ethnic studies.

“Looking back I don’t have any regrets,” said Kochiyama. “Except maybe I would have spent more time with my husband and kids. I have been criticized for this, though I actually did most of the human rights work after my children grew up.”

From her experience with racism during WWII, Kochiyama and Malcolm X were able to relate to one another. Becoming very active in the civil rights movement Kochiyama was the only non-African American member of Malcolm X’s Organization of Afro-American Unity. When Malcolm X was assassinated at the Audubon Ballroom in1965, Yuri was the first friend to run on stage and cradle Malcolm X’s head.

“To me Malcolm X was the most principled man but I do not think people think of him as peaceful,” said Kochiyama. “If I could I would dedicate the Nobel Peace Prize to victims of war, violence, injustices and natural disasters.”

With Puerto Rican Independistas, Kochiyama took over the Statue of Liberty for nine hours in 1977 to support the release of Puerto Rican nationalists, one dying of cancer. Kochiyama has also been active in supporting political prisoners such as Mumia Abu Jamal, Eddy Zheng and Yu Kikumura.

“The biggest challenge for world peace for the present and future must be to stop U.S. imperialist policies,” said Kochiyama. “And that goes for not only the U.S. imperialists but any imperialists who may want to start something aggressive.”

The Nobel Peace Prize is named after Swedish scientist and businessman Alfred Nobel. The recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize will be awarded at the Oslo City Hall in Norway on Dec. 10.