Roland Kotani

Roland Motoi Kotani (June 15, 1954 – July 28, 1989) was an American politician and Democratic member of the Hawaii State House of Representatives. Kotani served as assistant majority floor leader and represented the Pearl City Pacific Palisades area.

He was killed by his estranged wife Grace Kotani on July 28, 1989, at the age of 35.

Biography A Japanese American, Kotani graduated from Yale University and in 1984 he was the editor of Ka Huliau (The Turning Point), a self-described "Hawaiian Grassroots Journal." The journal was launched in early 1983 and published every six weeks, with an estimated circulation of 3,000. Kotani's particular focus was on the resurgence of the local people's movement. He worked as an editorial assistant for The Hawaii Herald. Kotani authored the book The Japanese in Hawaii: A Century of Struggle in 1985, writing extensively on the 100th Infantry Battalion. During this time, he worked as an assistant to the Governor of Hawaii and Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii. He was nominated to the Hawaii State House of Representatives in 1987 by the State Governor John Waihee to replace representative Eloise Tungpalan who was appointed to the Hawaii State Senate. Kotani was later elected to the House unopposed in 1988. Kotani was also acknowledged in several state resolutions passed by the Hawaii State Legislature. Kotani's murder is studied in detail as a case study in Hawaii crime scene investigation books.