Historical Dictionary of United States-Japan ... - Bakumatsu Films

102 • HAY, JOHN
the 50th state of the United States in 1959. When George Ariyoshi
was elected Governor of Hawaii in 1974, he became not only the first
Japanese American governor but also the first Asian American governor
in United States history. Other well-known Japanese Americans
from Hawaii are Senator Daniel Inouye and U.S. Army General Eric
Shinseki.
Since the end of World War II, Hawaii has developed a substantial
tourist industry. Americans from the mainland, Japanese, and people
all over the world come to Hawaii to enjoy its warm climate, beaches,
scenic mountains, and active volcanoes. The U.S. Pacific Command
and other American military facilities are based in Hawaii, while the
University of Hawaii and its affiliated East–West Center have become
internationally renowned education and research facilities. In
recent years, many native Hawaiians have joined a movement promoting
Hawaiian sovereignty, arguing that the American takeover of
the islands in the 1890s was illegal. The biggest success of this movement
was in 1993 when both Houses of the U.S. Congress passed and
President Bill Clinton signed a resolution apologizing for the actions
of the American government in overthrowing the Hawaiian monarchy
in the 1890s. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, there are more
than 1.2 million people living in Hawaii, the majority of whom are of
Asian descent. See also IMMIGRATION; INTERNMENT.
HAY, JOHN (1838–1905). Born in 1838, John Hay first rose to notice
as assistant private secretary to President Abraham Lincoln. He was
appointed assistant secretary of state in 1879, and in 1897, he was
posted as ambassador to Great Britain. An outspoken Anglophile,
Hay returned to Washington in 1898, President William McKinley
having named him secretary of state.
Hay provided the framework for Japanese–American relations
throughout much of the 20th century when, in 1899 (and again in
1900), he issued his famed Open Door notes. Issued to Great Britain,
France, Russia, Germany, Italy, and Japan, the Open Door notes
sought to ensure the future expansion of American trade in China by
guarding against the disintegration of that beleaguered country.
Specifically, Hay’s Open Door notes asked the imperial powers not
to discriminate against the trade of other countries within their
spheres of influence in China. The notes also asked the powers to refrain
from interfering with Customs Service collection of tariff du-