CARSON : Japan’s Government Honors City Clerk for Goodwill Work

Helen Kawagoe always considered herself a “lightweight” in the Japanese American community, compared to others she felt were better known for helping Japanese Americans and fostering goodwill between the United States and Japan.

But the Japanese government feels differently. It recently awarded Kawagoe the Order of the Precious Crown in recognition of her 20 years of public service as Carson city clerk and the many cultural exchanges she has helped organize.

Accompanied by a certificate with the Japanese emperor’s seal and the prime minister’s signature, the medal is one of the highest honors presented to individuals who contribute to the Japanese American community or to the strengthening of U.S.-Japan relations.

“I was so surprised!” said Kawagoe, 66. “I didn’t feel I was a heavyweight, like the other people whom I’d seen get the award.”

The Japanese Consulate in Los Angeles presents the awards to eight local people each year. Past recipients include Mayor Tom Bradley, other civic leaders and specialists in medicine, agriculture and the arts.

The consulate considers nominations from local organizations, such as the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce. In Tokyo, officials painstakingly check the backgrounds of the nominees, said Nancy Hamai-Smith of the consulate staff.

Kawagoe became the first Japanese American woman in the mainland United States to hold a municipal office when she was elected city clerk in 1974. She has held that office since then and is credited with streamlining the city’s election procedures.

As a member and past president of the International Institute of Municipal Clerks, Kawagoe has traveled to Japan, Europe, Australia and Israel to promote exchanges among municipal clerks around the world.

A second-generation Japanese American, Kawagoe was born and raised in Pasadena. She, her parents and her 13 siblings were sent to internment camps during World War II, but the family was able to return to their home in Pasadena after the war.

In 1947 she married Takeshi (Tak) Kawagoe, who died in 1992. “My husband was like a stand-up comic. He always made people laugh,” Kawagoe said.

His good humor and support helped the couple endure the loss of their only child, a daughter who died at age 5 of brain cancer. Kawagoe said she tells few people of this difficult experience, which she said helped influence her “way of thinking and looking at life.”

“Tak and I had a greater appreciation for people than for material things,” she said.

Kawagoe and her husband operated their business, Carson Nursery, from 1962 to 1971. She also worked three years as vice president of marketing and public relations for a savings and loan before she ran for city clerk.