I've seen this claimed, but I have yet to see it substantiated.
How likely is it that the White Territorial governments would have made things easy for Japanese newcomers? Maybe there were just too many children born on out of the way plantations to keep good records.
Yes, that is why it was relatively easy to get a "Certificate of Hawaiian Birth" during the territorial era. It's also why such a certificate is NOT accepted as proof of citizenship by the feds.
But I haven't seen any evidence that the documentation standards were lax for certificates of LIVE birth in 1961. I've seen lots of birthers make this allegation, but as usual, they present no evidence to back up their case.
It's probably a conclusion based on the fact that there was a separate "Certificate of Hawaiian Birth" (distinct from a "Certificate of Live Birth" or "Certification of Live Birth) until 1972.
Actually though, the COHB was a looser program for people who couldn't get a birth certificate.
It was intended for children born on out of the way plantations whose births weren't recorded by doctors or hospitals.
But is there real evidence that standards in the Hawaiian COLB program were laxer than in other states?
One thing that gets brought up is the Certificate of Hawaiian Birth that Chinese leader Sun Yat-Sen (1866-1925) was able to get in 1904, even though he wasn't born in Hawaii.
When he was living in Hawaii, Sun got people to lie for him to get his COHB. That was not a COLB, though.
So I don't know. It wouldn't be the first time one of these factoids turned out to be untrue.
Compulsory registration of births. Within the time prescribed by the department of health, a certificate of every birth shall be substantially completed and filed with the local agent of the department in the district in which the birth occurred, by the administrator or designated representative of the birthing facility, or physician, or midwife, or other legally authorized person in attendance at the birth; or if not so attended, by one of the parents.
Local agent to prepare birth certificate. (a) If neither parent of the newborn child whose birth is unattended as provided in section 338-5 is able to prepare a birth certificate, the local agent of the department of health shall secure the necessary information from any person having knowledge of the birth and prepare and file the certificate. (b) The department shall prescribe the time within which a supplementary report furnishing information omitted on the original certificate may be returned for the purpose of completing the certificate. Certificates of birth completed by a supplementary report shall not be considered as “delayed” or “altered.”
§338-16 Procedure concerning late and altered birth certificates. (a) Birth certificates registered one year or more after the date of birth, and certificates which have been altered after being filed with the department of health, shall contain the date of the late filing and the date of the alteration and be marked distinctly “late” or “altered”.
(b) A summary statement of the evidence submitted in support of the acceptance for late filing or the alteration shall be endorsed on the certificates.
(c) Such evidence shall be kept in a special permanent file.
(d) When an applicant does not submit the minimum documentation required by the rules for late registration or when the state registrar finds reasons to question the validity or adequacy of the certificate or the documentary evidence, the state registrar shall not register the late certificate and shall advise the applicant of the reason for this action