About Senator Matsunaga’s three intense years to put together a 69-vote, filibuster-proof majority, eye-witness Senator Dan Inouye wrote:

“The  man should take nearly all of the credit for Senate passage of the redress bill is Sen, Sparky Matsunaga.  He is the one who sponsored the bill and organized the vote on that in the Senate.  If Sen. Matsunaga’s efforts were to be weighted as 10, mine would be one.”