Nobuhiro Hayatsu 1965 – September 11, 2001

Go to the “Never Forgetting What We Lost on 9/11” main page.

Nobuhiro Hayatsu was the vice president of Chuo Mitsui Trust and Banking Company. According to the New York Times Portraits of Grief, Nobuhiro “stood out” in the circumspect and reserved world of Japanese banking. “He was outgoing, sunny, loquacious.” His previous Chuo Mitsui Trust and Banking Company assignments included Taiwan, Tokyo, London, and Hong Kong. He and his wife, Yoshiko, and their little son, Ryo, came to New York in the spring of 2001. They lived in Scarsdale, in Westchester County.

Nobuhiro had made the most of his travel experiences. Portraits of Grief relates how he learned Mandarin and became interested in classical Chinese literature while in Taiwan, and how much he enjoyed the busy, noisy atmosphere in Hong Kong. He did not seem to have had much time for fun in New York. He would leave for work at the World Trade Center at 6:30 AM and not return until 10:00 PM. He had been looking forward to going sightseeing with his family, Portraits of Grief notes.

In spite of his long work hours, Nobuhiro was devoted to his family. Portraits of Grief notes that when his son, Ryo, was born in London, Nobuhiro held him “so long, so adoringly in the birthing room that the doctor yelled at him.” It also notes that on weekends he would “flop on the couch and hug his son.” Nobuhiro bought land back home in Japan near Mt. Fuji, where he planned upon his retirement to build a country house at which his family could gather.

Westchester County suffered 108 deaths from the jihadist terrorists in addition to Nobuhiro Hayatsu. The 109 victims are remembered at a stunning memorial dedicated in September 2006 at Valhalla, New York’s Kensico Dam Plaza. The memorial, called “The Rising,” is made of 109 stainless steel rods that soar 80 feet in the air, intertwining. The creator of the sculpture, Manhattan architect Frederic Schwartz’s intention was to “honor each person individually and unite them together as a community.”

The 109 names and a quotation chosen by a loved one are inscribed on the circular base of the memorial.