state senator shares story of adoption, reunion

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – For State Sen. Glenn Wakai, the 125th anniversary of Okinawans immigrating to Hawaii has a special and personal significance.

For most of his life, Wakai knew that he was adopted but kept it a secret. He was one of the few orphans from Okinawa more than 50 years ago to leave when a loving family from Hawaii offered him a new life.

“Back in 1967, there were only about 50 Japanese that would go to foreign lands to there’s not like 5000 right so there was only 50 kids that left Japan for a life in a foreign country,” he said.

The senator was adopted by Ruth and Calvin Wakai. Together, they provided the young Uchinanchu boy opportunities that he would never have had had he not been adopted.

“You think about 125 years of immigration between Okinawa and Hawaii. I think I embody the American dream, an orphan from Japan picked up by a loving family, and is able to chase their dreams,” Glenn said.

Sadly, Ruth passed in 2013, followed by Calvin a few months later. Prior to Calvin’s passing, he presented Glenn with his childhood passport that bore his birth name. After a time of mourning, Wakai’s wife, Miki, asked him if he would like her to help him find his biological mother. He obviously said yes.

“His born name is Mitsuru Shimabukuro. Shimabukuro was the last name, so I started calling all the Shimabukuros in Tokyo,” Miki said.

During one of her calls, Miki said a nice lady suggested she contact the adoption agencies in Japan to see if they had any information. So, she did, and sure enough, one of them did have Glenn’s childhood records. The Wakais hired a lawyer, and a few months later, they received some good news.

“I mean, there are 8 billion people on this planet, and Miki needed to help me find one person, and she did,” the senator said.

“When we found her, we were so happy,” said Miki.

That led to reuniting with Glenn’s biological mom, Yoko Boughton. Sen. Wakai realized that there was a chance that she may not have wanted to meet for various reasons, but was elated when she did.

“He had all of the lucky stars lined up, I have to say this is not always the case when you look for birth mom in a foreign country, I think,” Miki said.

“I feel like I got a second mom, and keep in mind, she had me up for adoption because she was age 15,” Glenn said.

Since their reunion, the Wakais now try to make it back to Okinawa every year to spend time with Glenn’s biological family. This has also prompted the Hawaii lawmaker and his mom to help reform Japan’s policies when it comes to dealing with Japanese orphans.

“My mother and I joined that crusade, met with the Diet members, the congressional-level ministers here in Japan, and we changed the law,” he said.

When Glenn was adopted, only 12% of all orphans were in foster care. While there is still a long way to go, he said the law now requires that by 2030, 35% of all orphans need to be in foster care rather than a warehouse orphanage.

“Every child has value, and I want as best as I can from an outside perspective to pressure Japan to really invest in their children,” Wakai said.

After all, the senator is living proof of how an orphan can thrive if given a chance. He said he is forever grateful to his God-given parents, Ruth and Calvin, for adopting him and also grateful for the 125 years of Okinawa and Hawaii relations.

“Here I am, a product of the benefits of that close collaboration between our islands, and I really am grateful for the opportunity Hawaii has given me that I wouldn’t have gotten here in Okinawa,” he said.