James Matayoshi (born 1968) is the mayor of Rongelap Atoll in the Marshall Islands. He was appointed as Rongelap's mayor in 1995[1] and has served as chairman of the Marshall Islands Ports Authority since 2008.[2] As the mayor of Rongelap, Matayoshi was noted for his activism on calling for the United States government to render assistance to Marshall Islanders suffering from radiation sickness as a result of a series of nuclear tests carried out under Operation Castle in the 1950s.[3]
Matayoshi was born in Kwajalein. His father, Woodrow Matayoshi,[4] was a second-generation Japanese American from Hawaii, whose parents were immigrants from Okinawa. Matayoshi's mother, Almira Ainri, was a Marshallese from Rongelap and was an activist on issues pertaining to nuclear warfare[1] until her death in June 2005. In her youth, Ainri was exposed to radioactive fallouts from the nuclear bomb tests,[5] which left her with thyroid problems for the rest of her life. Two of Matayoshi's older siblings, Robert and Alex also suffered from thyroid problems as a result of the nuclear bomb tests. Ainri also suffered a miscarriage in 1955 which resulted in a stillborn child without a skeleton.[6] In his youth, Matayoshi was educated in Hawaii, but returned to the Marshall Islands and was elected as Rongelap's mayor in 1995.[1]
Since his appointment as the Mayor of Rongelap, Matayoshi campaigned vigorously for anti-nuclear causes and often attended memorial events pertaining to nuclear warfare in Japan as well as the Marshall Islands.[7] [8] Between 2005 and 2007, Matayoshi led lobbies against the Nuclear Claims Tribunal to provide monetary compensation to victims of nuclear bombs testings,[9] [10] which were targeted to be used for reconstruction efforts and facilitating resettlement in Rongelap.[11] Japan also provided resettlement funds to Rongelap to 2005, which was motivated in part to Matayoshi's ancestral and diplomatic ties that he established with Japan.[12]
In February 2023, The Washington Post reported that Matayoshi is under investigation by the Marshall Islands' attorney general.[13]