Organization

Hello, and thank you for visiting our website. My name is Taiji Horie, and I serve as the Representative Director of the Japan-U.S. Heirs and Land Records Center.
Our organization researches land within the area currently used as Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni that remains registered under private names in Japan’s land records. Using public records from both Japan and the United States, we work to identify and document the connections between these land records and families descended from Japanese immigrants who settled in Hawaii and on the U.S. mainland, including their descendants who may be heirs.
A significant number of these properties remain registered under names dating back to the Meiji and Taisho eras. Some of the registered owners emigrated from Japan to Hawaii or the U.S. mainland, and many of their descendants now live in the United States. Because of the distance between Japan and the United States, some families have had little opportunity to learn about the land records associated with their ancestors in Japan.
We carefully cross-reference Japanese records—including family registry records, land registers, and former land ledgers—with U.S. public records, such as census records, draft registration records, and immigration, death, and marriage records. Through this process, we document the connections between the land records and the heirs and families concerned.
This work requires time, care, and repeated verification. However, we hope to deliver the records we are able to confirm to the heirs and their families in an accurate form.
The Center is not a legal representative. Matters involving the registration of inherited property or other legal procedures are handled in consultation with attorneys, judicial scriveners, and other appropriately licensed experts. When necessary, we help connect families with the appropriate specialists.
We place great importance on providing clear explanations, confirming the wishes of each family, and respecting personal privacy and individual family circumstances. We do not simply present records without context. We first seek to ensure that families understand the information and, when appropriate, connect them with qualified professionals.
The Center is not intended to seek the return of the base, nor is its purpose to criticize either the Japanese or U.S. government. Our fundamental approach is to organize land records and family connections accurately on the basis of verifiable public records.
I believe it is the responsibility of the Center to carefully bring together records that have remained separated between Japan and the United States for many decades and to provide the verified facts faithfully to the families who need them. Rather than rushing to conclusions, we will continue to examine each family and each record carefully, while working in cooperation with professionals and other relevant parties.
We hope that this work will help families learn more about their roots and the land records connected to their ancestors.
Thank you for your understanding and support of our work.