Kessai Note

{{Short description|Former President of the Marshall Islands}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix = His Excellency

|name = Kessai Hesa Note

|image = Kessai Note 2005.jpg

|caption = Note in 2005

|office1 = President of the Marshall Islands

|order1 = 3rd

|vicepresident1 =

|term_start1 = 10 January 2000

|term_end1 = 14 January 2008

|predecessor1 = Imata Kabua

|successor1 = Litokwa Tomeing

|office2 = Speaker of the Nitijela

|term_start2 = 1988

|term_end2 = 1999

|predecessor2 = Atlan Anien

|successor2 = Litokwa Tomeing

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1950|8|7|df=y}}

|birth_place = Ailinglaplap Atoll, Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands

|death_date =

|death_place =

|spouse = Mary Neimoj Yamamura

|party = UDP

}}

Kessai Hesa Note (born August 7, 1950, in Ailinglaplap) is a Marshallese politician who was President of the Marshall Islands from 2000 to 2008.

Elected in 1979 alongside Litokwa Tomeing, Note is one of the two longest-serving members of Nitijeļā.{{Cite web|url=https://marshallislandsjournal.com/ruben-made-his-mark-on-rmi/|title=Ruben made his mark on RMI|date=January 3, 2019|access-date=October 17, 2020|archive-date=October 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017171201/https://marshallislandsjournal.com/ruben-made-his-mark-on-rmi/|url-status=live}} He was the Minister of Internal affairs from 1985 to 1986, and Minister of Transportation and communications from 1986 to 1987.{{Cite web|url=http://www.pacificdigitallibrary.org/cgi-bin/pdl?e=d-000off-pdl--00-2--0--010---4-------0-1l--10en-50---20-text---00-3-1-00bySR-0-0-000utfZz-8-00&a=d&cl=CL1.8&d=HASH01a1064060bc9b6f51af8478.5|title=Nitijela of the Marshall Island: 3|access-date=2020-11-01|archive-date=2023-12-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231211215444/https://pacificdigitallibrary.org/cgi-bin/pdl?e=d-000off-pdl--00-2--0--010---4-------0-1l--10en-50---20-text---00-3-1-00bySR-0-0-000utfZz-8-00&a=d&cl=CL1.8&d=HASH01a1064060bc9b6f51af8478.5|url-status=live}} Having served as Speaker of the Nitijeļā since 1988,{{Cite web|url=https://rmiparliament.org/cms/component/content/article.html?id=38:senator-kenneth-kedi,-the-seventh-speaker-of-the-nitijela|title=Republic of the Marshall Islands|access-date=2019-02-02|archive-date=2019-01-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190109062820/https://rmiparliament.org/cms/component/content/article.html?id=38:senator-kenneth-kedi,-the-seventh-speaker-of-the-nitijela|url-status=live}} he was elected president in 2000. Note is the first commoner, rather than an Iroijlaplap or traditional chief, to be elected to the Presidency.Giff Johnson, [http://www.pacificmagazine.net/news/2008/01/07/opposition-takes-control-of-marshall-islands-government "Opposition Takes Control Of Marshall Islands Government"] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20070614094204/http://www.pacificmagazine.net/news/2008/01/07/opposition-takes-control-of-marshall-islands-government |date=2007-06-14 }}, Pacific Magazine, January 7, 2008. He is a member of the United Democratic Party, and was reelected by parliament in January 2004, receiving 20 votes, while Justin deBrum received 9.

On January 7, 2008, following the November 2007 general election, he was defeated in his bid for re-election in a vote of Parliament, receiving 15 votes against 18 for Litokwa Tomeing.{{cite news |url=http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=37332 |title=Litokwa Tomeing becomes new Marshalls president |date=7 January 2008 |work=Radio New Zealand International |accessdate=12 October 2011 |archive-date=13 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113232350/http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=37332 |url-status=live }}

File:Eni Faleomavaega and Kessai Note.jpg.]]

Note is of Japanese-Marshallese descent, having inherited his Japanese heritage from his paternal grandfather.{{Cite web |url=http://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/area/marshall/cv/r_note.html |title=ケーサイ・ノート マーシャル諸島共和国大統領略歴 |access-date=2007-12-30 |archive-date=2016-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303183101/http://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/area/marshall/cv/r_note.html |url-status=live }} Note's grandfather was a native of Niigata Prefecture, and settled in the Marshall Islands during the Japanese colonial era and married a Marshallese wife.[http://globalnet-akiko.jp/mt/archives/2006/05/index.html マーシャル諸島共和国大統領会談] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722104807/http://globalnet-akiko.jp/mt/archives/2006/05/index.html |date=2011-07-22 }}, Official weblog of Akiko Yamanaka, May 28, 2006

He was the Minister of Justice from 2020 to 2022.{{Cite web|url=https://rmiparliament.org/cms/members.html#8-minister-of-justice-honorbale-kessai-h-note|title=Members|access-date=2020-03-07|archive-date=2019-11-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191103092457/https://rmiparliament.org/cms/members.html#8-minister-of-justice-honorbale-kessai-h-note|url-status=live}}

In February 2023, The Washington Post reported that Note is under investigation by the Marshall Islands' attorney general.{{Cite news |last=McKenzie |first=Pete |date=February 15, 2023 |title=Bribes, booze and bombs: The brazen plan to create a Pacific tax haven |language=en-US |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/02/14/china-united-states-marshall-islands-rongelap/ |url-access=registration |access-date=2023-03-05 |issn=0190-8286 |archive-date=2023-02-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230216063318/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/02/14/china-united-states-marshall-islands-rongelap/ |url-status=live }} In December 2023, the United States Department of State barred Note from entering the US under the Global Magnitsky Act for accepting bribes.{{Cite web |date=December 11, 2023 |title=Leveraging Tools to Promote Accountability and Counter Global Corruption |url=https://www.state.gov/leveraging-tools-to-promote-accountability-and-counter-global-corruption/ |access-date=2023-12-11 |website=United States Department of State |language=en |quote=The United States is publicly designating Note and Halferty, for their involvement in significant corruption by accepting articles of monetary value and other benefits in exchange for acts in the performance of their public functions. Specifically, Note and Halferty accepted bribes in the form of services and cash, in exchange for their legislative support of a bill in the RMI legislature to create a semi-autonomous region in the RMI. |archive-date=2023-12-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231211215445/https://www.state.gov/leveraging-tools-to-promote-accountability-and-counter-global-corruption/ |url-status=live }}