Nadine K. Nakamura, a 63-year-old Yoboku of Lanai Church living in Hawaii, has been serving in the Hawaii House of Representatives since 2016, dedicating herself to public policy development. In January 2025, she became the first female Speaker of the Hawaii House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
The Hawaii Legislature currently consists of 25 senators and 51 representatives, serving approximately 1.4 million residents. Recently appointed as Speaker of the House, Ms. Nakamura is committing herself to the management of the legislature and the deliberation of bills, working closely with the Senate President, the Governor, and the Chief Justice of the State Supreme Court.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would like to contribute to making Hawaii the best state in the United States,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Even before becoming a House representative, she was involved in the administration of Kauai County, where she was born and raised. After being first elected to the House in 2016, she has striven to enact policies addressing residents\u2019 needs, such as environmental improvement and support for low-income families.<\/p>\n
Ms. Nakamura was raised in a Tenrikyo family. Her parents, Hiroyoshi Maeda and Mabel Maeda, are followers of Tenrikyo, and her grandmother was the first head minister of Tenrikyo Lanai Church. Ms. Nakamura has been connected to the faith since childhood by attending Sunday School, joining the Aloha Band (a fife and drum band), and returning to Jiba regularly.<\/p>\n
She says: \u201cMy parents taught me the importance of being humble, working diligently, and helping others through their own practice of the teachings. The faith they passed on to me has supported my life. Now, I pray every morning to God the Parent and Oyasama for the health and happiness of my family and friends. In this way, I keep in mind that I should practice the teachings.\u201d<\/p>\n
She became a Yoboku more than 20 years ago. Last year, she returned to Jiba with her son and six of his friends, guiding them to attend the Besseki lecture for the first time. Despite her busy schedule, she keeps her mind connected to Jiba.<\/p>\n
In her speech on the opening day of the 2025 Hawaii State Legislature, she shared her mother\u2019s advice on maintaining humility, respect, and seeking the good in others. At the request of Ms. Nakamura, Rev. Tad Iwata, the head minister of Honolulu-Ko Church, gave the opening prayer before her speech and spoke about Tenrikyo\u2019s values of compassion and spirit of mutual help.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Nadine K. Nakamura, a 63-year-old Yoboku of Lanai Church living in Hawaii, has been serving in the Hawaii House of Representatives since 2016, dedicating herself to public policy development. In January 2025, she became the first female Speaker of the Hawaii House of Representatives. The Hawaii Legislature currently consists of\u2026<\/p>\n