【南加熊本県人会 沖田義邦会長 倫理法人会モーニングセミナーにご登壇 9/16/2026】

#南加熊本県人会 会長であり、Pavilions Asian Food Marketing Managerの沖田義邦さんが、9月16日の倫理法人会のモーニングセミナーにご登壇されました。

タイトルは、

「日本とアメリカの架け橋に生きる〜笑顔の秘訣は熊本愛〜」

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朝7時からということでいつもよりだいぶ早い5時半に起きての参加。

（習慣的に早起きしたら良いとは思いながらも宵っぱりなので、用事がないと早起きしない毎日です。）

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今まで何度かお誘いがありながら今回だけはお受けになったのは、お声がけしたのが、#ロサンゼルス倫理法人会 の新会長に就任された小澤奈緒美さんだから。

15年前の東日本大震災の被災地支援として立ち上げたTulips in Harmonyの代表の奈緒美さん。

そして、10年前の熊本地震で、小澤さんにサポートを依頼して義援金活動を開始したのが、沖田さんと小澤さんの繋がりのきっかけでした。

それ以来、小澤さんがチャリティコンサートを開けば協力し、またサポートをお願いし・・と、お互いにできることを力を合わせてやっていらっしゃるのを拝見しています。

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今夏の熊本の10年ぶりの地震で被災地支援のチャリティコンサートを南加熊本県人会と副会長の安藤みちよさんが率いるフラメンコグループ「Mikaela Kai Flamenco」が共催した時も、小澤さんはTulips in Harmonyからも出演し、2万ドル以上の支援金を作ることができました。（コンサート以降も合わせると、2万5000ドル以上が熊本支援に集まっているということで、本当に素晴らしいですね！）

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さて、沖田さんが何をお話になったか！ですが、実に多岐に渡っていました。

収容所で生まれ、熊本に戻って学び、高校卒業後の19歳で帰米としてアメリカに戻った沖田さん。

親に内緒でベトナム従軍、USCで学んだ後に、米系スーパーマーケットで働き始めて今も現役というのも素晴らしいお話です。大手のチェーンスーパーマーケットでアジア系の食品を担当しています。80歳を超えてもまだ引退せずに誰よりも長い社歴ながら第一線で働き続けているのは、アメリカでもそう多くはありません。

奥様は何年か前に亡くされましたが、優秀なお子さんたち3人に恵まれ、熊本愛から災害があっても平時でも熊本支援をライフワークとして継続しています。

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ご実家が裕福だったこと、「ラッキーが続いたので苦労をしたことがない」とおっしゃりながらも、生死にかかわるベトナムでのジャングルでの従軍生活では苛烈な体験もなさいました。

それなのに自分は恵まれている、幸せ者だ、苦労をしたことないとニコニコお話しするのです。結局のところ、どういう環境にあっても人の心持ち一つなのだと思わされることが多いのは、沖田さんのこうした心意気からなのだとよく気付きをいただきます。

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人生の中で、「戦争・海外生活などの経験 → 人に助けられた経験 → 恩返し → 人と人をつなぐ → 熊本をはじめとする災害支援・義援金活動」と、常に他者のために尽力されている沖田さん。

いつも世のため人のために尽くしていらっしゃるので、お人好しにも程があると心配になる時もあります。つけ入ってくる人を見ると複雑な気持ちが湧いてくる時もあります。それでも、ゆっくりお話を伺うと、わかってやっている時、きちんと線引きをしているとわかって安心したりということもあります。

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沖田義邦さんなりの矜持、男気、博愛精神、濁を清にまで変える悟りの境地にも達してるかの如くの生き方に深い尊敬の念を持っております。

「いつも頑張ってますね！」と応援してくださる沖田さん。聞き流すことはできず、取り始めたメモは5ページに。

沖田さんの精神性や気持ちを表す「アメリカと日本の架け橋」「恩返し」「助け合い」「出会いが一番大事」という言葉。これからもわずかではありながらも沖田さんのお役に立つことをしていきたいと思う朝でした。

今後も、仕事、県人会活動、フラメンコ、唄とますますお元気で楽しくお過ごしください！

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その沖田さんがこの後サポートされるのは、10月25日の小澤奈緒美さんのTulips in Harmonyのチャリティコンサート！熊本の被災地支援のため、パロスバーデスで「Blooming Concert」が開催されます。南加熊本県人会副会長の安藤みちよさんのフラメンコグループもご出演！

クラシック（Tulips in Harmony）、日本の伝統民謡と舞踊（松豊会）、フラメンコ（Mikaela Kai Flamenco）、ロック（Yoyoka Band（16歳の天才ドラマー））と、実にバラエティ豊かなラインナップです。

私も、Tulips in Harmonyのメンバーとしてお手伝いします。熊本支援にもつながるチャリティコンサートの応援をいただけると嬉しいです！

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ミーティングが入っていて、セミナー後の朝食会に参加できなかったのは残念でした。

沖田さん、興味深く含蓄のあるお話をありがとうございました！

#NankaKumamotoKenjinkai President Yoshikuni Okita, who also serves as Asian Food Marketing Manager at Pavilions, was the guest speaker at the Los Angeles Rinri Hojinkai Morning Seminar on September 16.

The title of his talk was:

“Living as a Bridge Between Japan and America — The Secret to a Smile Is His Love for Kumamoto”

The seminar started at 7:00 a.m., so I got up at 5:30—much earlier than usual.

(I know it would probably be good for me to make early rising a habit, but I’m a night owl, so unless I have somewhere to be, getting up early just doesn’t happen!)

Although Mr. Okita had been invited to speak several times before, he accepted this time because the invitation came from Naomi Ozawa, the newly appointed president of #LosAngelesRinriHojinkai .

Naomi is the founder of Tulips in Harmony, which she established to support communities affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake 15 years ago.

Mr. Okita and Naomi first became connected ten years ago, following the Kumamoto Earthquake, when he asked her to help launch fundraising efforts for those affected by the disaster.

Ever since, I have watched them continue to support one another—Mr. Okita helping whenever Naomi organizes a charity concert, Naomi stepping in whenever he asks for support, and both contributing whatever they can toward a common purpose.

This summer, when the Nanka Kumamoto Kenjinkai and Mikaela Kai Flamenco, led by Vice President Michiyo Ando, co-hosted a charity concert to support Kumamoto following its first major earthquake in ten years, Naomi also performed with Tulips in Harmony. The concert raised more than $20,000. Including donations received afterward, more than $25,000 has now been raised for Kumamoto. Truly wonderful!

So, what did Mr. Okita talk about? His life story covered an extraordinary range of experiences.

Born in an internment camp, he later returned to Kumamoto, where he was educated. After graduating from high school, he returned to the United States at age 19.

Without telling his parents, he went to Vietnam during the war. He later studied at USC and began working for an American supermarket company—a career he continues to this day. He is responsible for Asian foods for a major supermarket chain. Even in his 80s, he has not retired. Despite having one of the longest tenures in the company, he remains active on the front lines—something remarkable even in the United States.

His wife passed away several years ago, but he has been blessed with three accomplished children. His deep love for Kumamoto has also inspired him to make supporting the prefecture his lifelong mission, not only following disasters but in ordinary times as well.

Mr. Okita spoke about growing up in a well-to-do family and said, smiling, that he had “never really experienced hardship because I’ve always been lucky.”

Yet his life included extremely harsh experiences in the jungles of Vietnam, where he faced situations involving life and death.

And still, he smiles and says he has been fortunate, that he is a happy man, and that he has never really suffered.

Listening to him often reminds me how much our experience of life depends on how we choose to see our circumstances. His attitude toward life has given me many opportunities to reflect on my own.

There is a clear thread running through Mr. Okita’s life:

Experiences of war and life abroad → being helped by others → giving back → connecting people → supporting Kumamoto and other communities affected by disasters.

Again and again, his efforts have been directed toward helping others.

He devotes so much of himself to other people that sometimes I worry he may simply be too kind for his own good. When I see people trying to take advantage of that kindness, I sometimes have mixed feelings. But when I have the chance to sit down and talk with him, I realize that sometimes he knows exactly what he is doing and that he knows where to draw the line. That reassures me.

I have tremendous respect for the way Yoshikuni Okita lives—with his own sense of pride and dignity, old-fashioned generosity and courage, compassion for others, and an almost philosophical ability to transform even difficult experiences into something positive.

He often encourages me by saying, “You’re always working so hard!”

This time, I couldn’t simply listen and let his words pass by. Once I started taking notes, I ended up filling five pages.

Several phrases especially captured Mr. Okita’s spirit:

“A bridge between America and Japan.”
“Giving back.”
“Helping one another.”
“Meeting people is what matters most.”

I left that morning thinking that, even in my own small way, I would like to continue doing what I can to support him.

Mr. Okita, I hope you continue enjoying many more active and fulfilling years ahead—with your work, Kumamoto Kenjinkai activities, flamenco, and singing!

And the next event Mr. Okita will be supporting is Naomi Ozawa and Tulips in Harmony’s charity concert on October 25!

“Blooming Concert” will be held in Palos Verdes to support communities affected by disasters in Kumamoto. Mikaela Kai Flamenco, led by SoCal Kumamoto Kenjinkai Vice President Michiyo Ando, will also perform.

The program is wonderfully diverse: classical music by Tulips in Harmony, traditional Japanese folk music and dance by Matsutoyo Kai, flamenco by Mikaela Kai Flamenco, and rock by the Yoyoka Family Band, featuring the phenomenal 16-year-old drummer Yoyoka.

I’ll also be helping as a member of Tulips in Harmony. I would be very grateful for your support of this charity concert, which will also help support Kumamoto!

My only regret that morning was that I had another meeting and couldn’t stay for the breakfast gathering after the seminar.

Mr. Okita, thank you so much for sharing such a fascinating, meaningful, and thought-provoking story!