Civil Beat has asked candidates for the primary election to answer a survey about where they stand on various issues and what their priorities will be if elected.

The following comes from Ken Fujiyama, Republican candidate for the Office of Governor.

He is running against Republican candidate Gary Cordery in the Aug. 8 primary election.

Go to Civil Beat’s 2026 Elections Guide for general information, and check out the other candidates on Civil Beatʻs 2026 Hawaiʻi Primary Ballot.

Why are you best suited for the job of governor? And why do you want the job?

If I were to base my decision strictly on my resume, I would say I know I’m the best candidate. My life as an entrepreneur, businessman and real estate developer perfectly matches a candidate needed to solve all of the major problems that contributes to our high costs of living. I can scale the quantity of housing needs to 100,000 low-priced lots to be sold for around $50,000. I want this job, because I know can solve the problems. I think big. I think outside the box. I think long term.

What are the biggest issues facing the state, and what are the first things you would do to address them in the first six months after being elected?

• Government growth and spending • High cost of living • Housing shortage for median to lower income people • Excessive taxation on the median to lower income people • Need to modernize our education systems during and after the school day • Attracting large private businesses to increase private GDP • Need more doctors, nurses and medical providers. The very first thing I will do is to analyze the budgets, income and expenses under the governor’s jurisdiction.

Here’s a question from one of your constituents: What specific policies do you plan to implement to prevent and crack down on elected officials who abuse their office for personal gain, in order to begin restoring the public’s trust?

The State of Hawaiʻi Ethic Laws are clear on what a politician can and cannot accept as a gift. There are disclosures requirement that must be filed. The question arises whether any donation violates disclosure requirements. At this point in time, I will be focusing on solving major problems I have laid out to do.

With the median home price in Honolulu now above $1 million, what steps would you take to make housing more affordable?

My overall plan is to provide 100,000 vacant lots facing gravel roads without utilities that will sell for about $50,000 a lot. With excellent off-grid appliances, catchment water tanks, solar heaters and septic systems, a minimum wage worker could afford to get a house and lot. Most people have the misconception that Hawaiʻi does not have much land! The majority of the land is owned by the government. We just have to figure out how to use the land we have.

The office of the governor has taken a non-combative stance with the Trump administration over many policy issues. What would be your stance with the federal administration and why?

As we can see with President Trump, a highly combative and volatile stance can make it more difficult to accomplish anything. I strongly believe that an all-or-nothing combative stance by both parties is nonproductive. We need to find ways to work together for the betterment of our constituents. Something is always better than nothing at all.

Questions have been raised about how the new Hawaiʻi green fee to mitigate climate change is being doled out. Do you share those concerns and how should they be addressed in the future?

I have my own ideas on how we should address energy need in the future. I do not like the monopolistic control that HELCO has over the people. There should be more competition on who can provide power.

What would you do in office to address the here and now of climate change? And how would you address the costs to taxpayers, property owners and businesses to adapt?

I think the topic is too politically motivated by differing factions similar to the previous question on Hawaiʻi green fees. We have tremendous geothermal potential that can be tapped and expanded. We should look at all options and never lock us in to only one or two options. Many other states and countries have already successfully adopted geothermal technology to greatly reduce their dependence on petroleum. We have an abundance of this free resource!

Do you support a temporary transition to liquefied natural gas as Hawaiʻi pursues a goal of using 100% renewable energy by 2045? Is that goal attainable?

Renewable energy at what costs? We should always allow for some other options. HELCO should never have a monopoly.

Lawmakers in 2026 largely preserved historic income tax cuts. Will you commit to protecting the tax cuts? Why or why not?

Definitely, and I have a few other options as well. Due to our diverse population in wealth generation, we should always be cognizant of protecting the lower income levels of our population. Our whole real estate tax codes should be revisited especially for the agricultural zoned lands for owners with five acres and up to 300,000 acres.

In recent years, Hawai’i has experienced a series of damaging and dangerous weather events that have exposed weaknesses in our planning, preparation and response. How would you position the state to be better prepared for these events?

I think the insurance companies are shafting the people. It’s time to look at self-insurance backed by the state.

Hawaiʻi has no initiative or referendum process, yet some in the public are frustrated each year when the Legislature kills important legislation without explanation. Is it time for Hawaiʻi to join the 26 states that allow voters to create policy through the ballot? Why or why not?

Our legislative process grants too much power to the chairman of committees to block or move bills forward. Committee members should have the right to override the chairman with X number of the committee members. We used to have initiative and referendum in prior elections, but they were never adequately publicized before the election and provided no meaningful discussions of the pros and cons. Voters had to guess at the intent and ramifications.

Despite recent progress, there are more people homeless on the streets and in shelters than there were in 2022. What will you do during your term to reduce homelessness and prevent more people from becoming homeless.

There are many different situations of homelessness. There is no one cure to fix all. Some need help with drug addictions. Some need help with mental disabilities. Some need help with temporary shelter. Some need help with long care shelter. But all need to be close to food outlets, and clean restrooms. I have outlined steps that will greatly reduce homelessness.