Les Kojima
WINNIPEG
President
Les was born and raised in Winnipeg, but by the time of the September 22, 1988 redress agreement with the Government of Canada, he was the president of the Vancouver Island Japanese Canadian Society. He lived in several countries from 1989 – 2016, including the Solomon Islands, Nepal, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Switzerland, the UK, the US, India and Sri Lanka. During the latter part of his career, Les worked as a financial management specialist in the South Asia region of the World Bank, covering Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Les returned to Winnipeg after retirement from The Bank in December 2016, and immediately immersed himself in the community. At the Japanese Cultural Association of Manitoba, he is a regular volunteer, sits on a number of committees, and serves as the Treasurer. He is also an active member of the Manitoba Buddhist Temple. His interests include playing squash and learning Japanese.
Naomi Katsumi
OTT
AWA
Secretary
Sue Doi
VANCOUVER
Director
Sue is Japanese-Canadian on her father’s side (grandfather was issei from Wakayama prefecture and grandmother was nisei from Yamaguchi prefecture). She grew up in Richmond, BC and is the granddaughter of Tomoaki Doi, co-founder of the Steveston Judo Club. Sue now calls Vancouver home, on the unceded, traditional and ancestral territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil Waututh Nations.
Sue is an experienced board member, having served as director and Chair of the Governance Committee of Destination British Columbia (2013-2018), a crown corporation that promotes tourism to BC, and as director on the board of the Pacific Autism Family Network Foundation (2014-2022). She also was an Endowment Fund Committee Member at the NAJC from 2020-2022.
Sue holds a law degree and a bachelor of social sciences degree, both from the University of Ottawa. She is also an alumna of the Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference and a recipient of Lexpert’s Rising Stars – Leading Lawyers Under 40.
Sue practiced law for 19 years at Vancity Credit Union, Whistler Blackcomb,Telus Communications and other companies. After a career pivot in 2018, Sue worked in strategy at ICBC, a crown corporation in BC, and is now an operational leader at the City of Vancouver.
Alex Okuda-Rayfuse
OTTAWA
Director and Chair, Young Leaders Committee
Alex is a yonsei on his mother’s side. The son of former Ottawa Japanese Community Association (OJCA) president Sachiko Okuda, and grandson of NJCCA founding member Hiroshi Okuda, Alex grew up as an active member of the Ottawa Japanese community.
Alex studied at Queen’s University in Kingston, where he earned a BA (Hons) in History with a minor in Philosophy. Upon his return to Ottawa, Alex helped plan social activities for the 2017 NAJC Annual General Meeting and Conference. The experience of interacting with Nikkei leaders from other provinces and territories led him to join the board of the OJCA and the NAJC Young Leaders Committee (YLC).
With the OJCA, Alex has served as the lead organizer of the OJCA-Ottawa Japanese Cultural Centre (OJCC) Mochitsuki and is the editor of the Ottawa Japanese Activities Guide. With the YLC, Alex has helped oversee the Young Leaders Fund grant program and plan various events and initiatives to engage and connect young Nikkei from across Canada.
Alex currently works for Elections Canada, coordinating planning activities and supporting election administrators across the country. In his free time, he enjoys playing hockey, soccer, and various creative pursuits.
Alex is proud to continue a family tradition of community involvement. He looks forward to engaging with young Nikkei from across Canada, and working to share, honour and preserve the stories and legacies of the Japanese Canadian community.
Ramses Miki-Hanson
Regina
Director
Ramses Miki-Hanson is a gosei born in Regina, Saskatchewan, Treaty Four territory. Aside from a few years in Japan, Ramses has lived the majority of his life in Saskatchewan. He is the great-nephew of Art Miki and Roy Miki. His grandfather, Leslie Kunio Miki, was the president of the Regina Japanese Cultural Club, and Regina representative during Redress.
Ramses studied at the University of Regina where he earned his BA (Hons.) in philosophy, with a certificate in international studies. During his undergrad, Ramses spent a year abroad in a Japanese language program at the Kobe City University of Foreign Studies ("KCUFS") in Kobe, Japan. Following completion of his undergrad, Ramses returned to Japan through the JET Programme, where he worked as an ALT in Takasaki City, Gunma prefecture. At the completion of his term on JET, Ramses returned to Canada to study law at the University of Saskatchewan, where he earned his Juris Doctor.
Ramses previously spent time on the Young Leaders Committee, the Constitution and Resolutions Committee, and is the current president of the Regina Japanese Cultural Club. He is always eager to return to Japan, with memorable experiences including playing with the rugby club at KCUFS, hiking Mount Fuji, and completing the Shikoku 88 Temple pilgrimage on foot.
Ramses currently works as a lawyer in private practice.
Stéphane Hamade
Hamilton
Vice President
Stéphane Joseph Tadashi Hamade is a biracial Japanese French Canadian.
Stéphane began his involvement in the Japanese Canadian community in 2017 after a trip to Japan to visit his grandfather’s hometown and attend the 2017 Annual General Meeting. In 2018, he got involved with the Young Japanese Canadians of Toronto and in 2019 joined the Japanese Young Leader Committee, where he became chair from 2020 to 2022. Stephane was also on the board of the Toronto NAJC. During the 2019 Federal election, he also ran a successful social media campaign to remove a picture of internment from a Peoples Party of Canada ad.
Stéphane spent most of the last 6 years working in municipal and provincial politics in Ontario and is currently working in Government Relations at Communitech in Kitchener. Stéphane has had the privilege of being on the board of several organizations in the past including the Canadian Intern Association, the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance, the Federation of Students at the University of Waterloo, and the Association des Communauté Francophone de l’Ontario-Toronto.
Stéphane’s grandfather came to Canada in 1927 and was sent to Geikie camp in Alberta in early 1942 and subsequently Lemon Creek. His father’s research into his family’s history and ensuring he was aware of our community's history has further inspired him to continue to be engaged in the community and work against injustice and for greater equity.
Kevin Higa
Edmonton
Treasurer
Kevin is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) who retired at the end of 2022 after more than 36 years of experience as a financial executive. He is committed to community service, volunteer work and advocacy for social justice.
Kevin grew up in Lethbridge and moved to Edmonton to attend the University of Alberta. During his career, he served as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for several well-known Canadian companies, including Running Room, a leading retailer of running and fitness apparel, and Peavey Mart/Ace Hardware Canada, a major farm, ranch hardware retailer.
Outside of his professional work, Kevin served on various boards at the University of Alberta as a Vice President of the Alumni Council, Treasurer of the School of Business Alumni Association, Board Member of the School of Retail. His volunteer commitments extend to other community organizations serving on various sports and church boards, and has coached hockey and soccer, helping to mentor and develop young players.
Kevin is the Treasurer of the NAJC, providing financial knowledge and guidance to support the organization’s mission, vision, and operations.
Kevin’s mother was a survivor of the Tashme Internment Camp, and due to this legacy, he has taken a deep interest in human rights advocacy and social justice issues. He is a committee member of the NAJC – Human Rights Committee and the EJCA – CARE (Committee Advocating Racial Equality) and is involved in their human rights and social justice advocacy work.
Lorene Oikawa
VANCOUVER
Past-President
In addition to her NAJC responsibilities, Lorene Oikawa works for the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction and is the Vice Chair of the Landscapes of Injustice Steering Committee. She also serves as the Vice President of the board of West Coast Environmental Law and is a founding member and director on the board of the Canadian Labour International Film Festival. She is the past President of the Greater Vancouver Japanese Canadian Citizens’ Association. She was the first and only Asian Canadian executive vice president for the BC Government and Service Employees’ Union (BCGEU) for three terms from 2005 to 2014.
She speaks and writes about her passions, including human rights and her heritage. She is a co-editor of the book, Honouring Our People: Breaking the Silence, which tells the stories of Japanese Canadians who survived uprooting, dispossession, and internment. She has worked on a number of projects including the Hastings Park 1942 Signage Project and Discover the Stories of Japanese Canadians in Surrey.
Lorene, a University of British Columbia (UBC) alumna, is a strong advocate of life-long learning. She contributes to the experience and knowledge exchange by developing and delivering workshops, mentoring, and facilitating for government, community, and unions.
Lorene is a yonsei, a fourth generation Canadian. Her mother’s side of the family migrated from Hiroshima Japan in the 1800s, to Cumberland on Vancouver Island, and in 1906, her father’s side came from Sendai Miyagi-ken, and settled on Oikawa Island in Metro Vancouver.
Yukari Peerless
VICTORIA
Director and Chair, Arts Culture Education Committee
Yukari has been helping to bridge the cultural gap between Japan and Canada ever since 1998, when she moved from her native Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, to Victoria. She has become the go-to person for all things Japanese culture and performing arts on Vancouver Island.
One of Yukari’s first jobs in Canada was working for the Canadian College of Film and Acting. Her interest in the theatre arts was fueled by watching student films and participating in acting workshops. She serves as the director of communication at Victoria Nikkei Cultural Society and as a board member at the Canadian College of Performing Arts, where she is an active member of the Cultural Safety Working Group. She is also a part of the Arts, Culture, and Education committee at National Association of Japanese Canadians and serves as administrator at Japanese Canadian Artists Directory.
As the owner of Lucid Communication, she provides a variety of services such as interpretation and cultural consulting to Japanese and Canadian clients, including the local government and the government of Japan. Yukari is also the producer/host of Japanese podcast “Hamidashikei Life no Arukikata” (roughly translated as "Misfit's guide to life") focused on various social issues.
Yukari is passionate about arts and Japanese culture and looking forward to serving as a new member of the National Executive Board
Miki Takabayashi
Vancouver
Director and Chair, Japanese New Immigrants Committee
Miki was born and raised in Japan, where she worked as a kindergarten teacher for three years. In 1992, she left Japan to explore the world, pursuing higher education in Canada, the U.S., and the U.K., gaining firsthand experience with diverse education systems and philosophies.
Miki has long been an advocate for supporting immigrants, women, and international students as minority groups, consistently promoting diversity and inclusion. In 2010, after a 10-year absence from Canada, she returned and decided to settle there, seeking an inclusive education system that would best support her children.
In 2017, she launched a business providing homestay programs with support and academic advising. By 2020, she incorporated AK JUMP Educational Consulting Inc. and she began educational consulting work. Miki produces an educational tour introducing Canada’s inclusive education system to Japanese educators and policymakers and offers active learning study tours for Japanese students.
Miki also engages in community volunteer work as a director for a Whistler multicultural society, Japan and Canada chamber of commerce, organising intercultural workshops, anti-bullying seminars, employment support for immigrants, seminars on Japanese immigrant history, human rights discussions, and cross-cultural sharing circles. Her guiding philosophy, "All means All," emphasises that all individuals are not left behind!
Kevin Okabe
Executive Director
Kevin has served as the part-time Executive Director for the NAJC since May 2018. Although Yonsei by generation, every generation in his family has married someone from Japan, so Kevin has a very unique tie to his ancestral country.
Kevin has been actively involved with the Japanese Canadian community at both the local and national levels for over thirty years. Locally, he helped organize Japanese Canadian youth groups and served on the boards of community organizations in Winnipeg and Calgary. He chaired the 2011 Tsunami Relief campaign in Calgary, and is the former President of the Calgary Japanese Community Association. Nationally, he served for five terms as Director, Secretary and Treasurer for the organization. He worked on the NAJC’s Youth, Strategic Planning, Finance and Heritage Committees and was instrumental in helping shape the organization’s investment strategy.
Kevin comes to the NAJC after retiring from the private sector, where he served as Chief Operating Officer for MSH International (Canada), a provider of expatriate insurance solutions, for the past ten years. He also spent over fifteen years working in public practice with Grant Thornton and PricewaterhouseCoopers . He holds certifications as a Chartered Professional Accountant and in Information Technology Audit and Governance, and was recognized as one of Calgary’s Top 40 under 40 in 2007. Together with his wife Naoko Maebashi, they own and operate two retail stores and a deli in Banff and Kananaskis, Alberta. He also serves as the Controller (part time) for the Kananaskis Country Golf Course.
As Executive Director, Kevin’s priorities for the NAJC include:
- Researching and suggesting strategic alternatives for consideration by the organization;
- Building community capacity, both nationally and locally;
- Supporting the work of the NAJC’s Executive Board and committees, including the organization of the Annual General meeting;
- Stabilizing and streamlining the back office and accounting administration for the organization; and
- Enhancing communication within the organization and strengthening partnerships to achieve common goals.
Sayuri Toma
National Administrator
Sayuri was born and raised in Okinawa. After graduating from a college, she moved to Tokyo and worked as a programmer for about 5 years. She then spent time in Calgary, Kelowna, and Vancouver, as a language student. Then she back to her hometown, she worked as a web designer and website administrator for about 6 years. In 2012, she moved to Calgary, where she currently serves as the administrator for both NAJC (National Association of Japanese Canadians) and CJCA (Calgary Japanese Community Association). She has been a member of the Calgary Okinawan Club since her immigration and has been a board member since 2020, initially serving as treasurer and currently as vice-president. Her hobbies include paddleboarding and playing the Okinawan sanshin.
Julia Yamaguchi
Project Administrator Officer
Julia Yamaguchi is a bilingual professional born in Tokyo to a Japanese father and an American mother. Her early years included frequent travels between Japan and the U.S., fostering a deep appreciation for diverse cultures. In 2020, she moved to Calgary, Alberta, and has been serving as a Project Administrator at the National Association of Japanese Canadians since July 2023. Julia holds a degree from Gakushuin University, where Princess Aiko also studied, enhancing the institution’s distinction. An avid athlete, she played golf and lacrosse, and her hobbies include playing the piano, hiking, and traveling.