Kyutaro Abiko

was a Japanese-born American businessman and newspaper editor.

Childhood Abiko was born in 1865 in Suibara, Niigata prefecture, Japan. He was raised by his maternal grandparents after the death of his mother. He worked as a youngster in the family business, being tasked with selling candles and paper in villages close to his home. At age 17, Abiko travelled with several friends to Tokyo, where he settled and worked. Abiko intended to move to the US, so he enrolled in English classes. He converted to Christianity in 1883. Sponsored by the Fukuinkai (Gospel Society), he emigrated to the United States in 1885.

Arrival in the United States He arrived in San Francisco with only $1 in his hands in 1885. He obtained employment in a private home doing domestic chores, and began attending Lincoln Grammar School. After his graduation from Lincoln Grammar School, he attended the University of California at Berkeley. After his graduation, he used his savings to start a laundry business. Soon afterwards, he established a restaurant. Both businesses made only a modest profit. In 1897, he bought the Soko Nihon Shinbun, a Japanese language newspaper business.

During this time he also became a leader among Japanese Christian immigrants in the Bay Area, helping to establish San Francisco's first Japanese Methodist Episcopal church, organizing the San Francisco Christian Federation, and eventually becoming president of the Fukuinkai. After the 1906 earthquake, Abiko led relief efforts aimed at Japanese immigrants. He also played an active role in protesting the Gentlemen's Agreement of 1907, which placed heavy restrictions on further Japanese immigration.