12.23.2008 The Rafu Shimpo

Coyote Comes Out Shooting
Cal State San Bernardino guard Takata scores 17.
—page 2
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Tuesday, December 23, 2008
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Asian Pacific
Islanders
Discuss Health
Disparities
National forum held to
develop strategies to help
API communities.
Associated Press
Toyota Motor Co. President Katsuaki
Watanabe ponders before answering
a question during the year-end press
conference in Nagoya Monday.
Toyota
Forecasts
First Loss in
its History
Automotive firm to post
$1.66 billion loss on global
ecoomic downturn.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kyodo Photo
japan-at-a-glance
STUDENTS’ STELLAR WORK:
Four of six small satellites developed
by students and private business
operators for launch in January on
Japan’s H-2A rocket are displayed
at a Japan Aerospace Exploration
Agency facility in Higashiosaka in
Osaka Prefecture on Monday.
WORKERS STAGE PROTEST:
About 250 non-Japanese staged a
protest march Sunday on the streets
of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture,
to call for employment and assistance
for foreign temporary workers who
have lost their jobs to the deepening
recession. Many of the protesters
are Japanese Brazilians who belong
to labor unions. They came to the
protest from Shizuoka, Aichi, Gifu and
Mie prefectures, which all host group
firms of Toyota Motor Corp. and Suzuki
Motor Corp. They urged companies to
stop firing temp workers. Manufacturers have announced plans in recent
weeks to lay off large numbers of such
“nonregular” employees.
NAGOYA, Japan.—Toyota Motor Corp.
said Monday it will report the first operating loss in its 71-year history, acknowledging that after a decade of rapid growth it
can no longer escape the slowdown plaguing the global auto industry.
The Japanese auto giant also lowered
its global vehicle sales forecast for the
second time this year and said it was putting ambitious expansion plans on hold, in
large part because of a precipitous drop in
demand in the key U.S. market.
“The tough times are hitting us far
faster, wider and deeper than expected,”
Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe
told a gloomy news conference at the
company’s Nagoya headquarters. “This
is an unprecedented crisis requiring
urgent action.”
Toyota had reported strong growth in
recent years, boosted by heavy demand
for its fuel-efficient models like the Camry
sedan and Prius gas-electric hybrid.
But Watanabe said a severe drop in
demand, especially in the U.S., which accounts for one-third of vehicle sales, and
profit erosion from a surging yen were too
much for Japan’s No. 1 automaker. Overall
U.S. auto sales fell to their lowest level in
26 years last month.
“The change that has hit the world
economy is of a critical scale that comes
once in 100 years,” Watanabe said.
Toyota said it expects an operating loss
of $1.66 billion for the fiscal year ending in
March, compared with an operating profit
of $25.2 billion a year earlier.
Please see Toyota, page 4
Holiday Magic
Little Clara (Lauren Shaul) tussles
with Fritz (Benjamin Simoens)
over a wooden nutcracker in the
South Bay Ballet’s production of
“The Nutcracker” performed over
the weekend at the El Camino
College Marsee Auditorium in
Torrance. At right, Keiji Ino
performs the splits as the Russian
in the Tchaikovsky’s holiday
classic. Other principals included,
Paul Kirk and Charlotte Munson
as the Nutcracker and Clara; Saaya
Anzai as the Sprite; and Ilaria
Guerra as the Snow Queen. Other
company members include, Aileen
Miki Furugen, Yuko Kanazawa,
Yumi Kanazawa, Sarah Kim,
Chika Komatsuzaki, Natalie Lee,
Stephanie Lew, Janet Lin, Mayu
Iris Odaka, Rio Onuma, Mio
Yamada and Nao Yamada.
Photos by MARIO G. REYES/Rafu Shimpo
Metro Offer Special Free Fares on
Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve
Metro will offer a special Holiday
Free Fare Program for All Metro Bus
and Metro Rail lines operating on
Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
The free fare program will be in effect
between the hours of 9 p.m. and 2 a.m.
only on the nights and early morning hours
of Dec. 24-25 and Dec. 31-Jan. 1.
Patrons boarding a Metro Bus, including the Metro Orange Line or the Metro
Red, Purple, Blue, Green or Gold rail lines
during the hours designated will receive a
free ride to their destination.
The free rides are being offered during this period to promote safety during
the holiday season. Metro is an option
for people attending holiday parties so
they don’t have to drive.
Metro’s fleet of more than 2,200 buses,
the Metro Orange Line, a dedicated bus
transitway in the San Fernando Valley
and Metro Rail lines offer patrons alterntives to driving solo in their vehicles with
convenient travel opportunities throughout the region. The Metro Purple Line
operates from Union Station in downtown Los Angeles to Wilshire/Western
and the Metro Red Line from Union
Station to North Hollywood in the San
Fernando Valley. The Metro Blue Line
operates from Long Beach to downtown
Los Angeles; the Metro Green Line runs
between Norwalk and El Segundo and
the Metro Gold Line operates between
Union Station and Pasadena.
For schedule information, call 1-800
C-O-M-M-U-T-E or visit Metro’s Web
site at www.metro.net.
Teeing it Up with the Boss
NEW YEAR: JACCC’s longstanding
celebration, Kotohajime, marks the
commencement of the New Year
and will take place Sunday, Jan 4 at
the Aratani Japan America Theatre
in Little Tokyo. This year’s theme is
Hatsui Shibai (First Performance).
Audiences will be treated to a host
of first performances of the year by
Nihon Buyo (traditional Japanese
dance) groups from the community.
Artistic director Hirokazu Kosaka and
IKKYU of the Los Angeles Kyudo Kai
Archery Group will perform the rite
of purification. General admission
is $20, $18 for members. For more
information visist www.JACC.org.
CITY NEWS SERVICE
Nguyen during an argument Saturday
night. Following the crime, the suspect
spent the night wandering around his
community, police said. On Sunday,
he called authorities and reported that
he had killed his mother, according to
police.
The suspect — whose birthday was
Monday — is scheduled to be arraigned
Tuesday in Santa Ana, according to the
Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s
Web site.
Associated Press
President-elect Barack Obama arrives to play golf at the Olomana Golf Links in Kailua, Hawaii Sunday. With
him is Eugene Kang, a member of Obama’s staff. Kang, a Korean American from Michigan, created Obama’s
Web site for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders during his presidential campaign. The Washington Post
reported that Obama, who golfs left handed, ordered two spam musubi from the snack bar during the round.
TOKYO.—A monument to some and
a monstrosity to others, Tokyo Tower
is turning 50.
The 1,092-foot, 6-inch tower in the
heart of Tokyo will mark its 50th anniversary Tuesday with a light show,
a daylong concert and a cake-cutting,
tower officials said in a statement.
The white-and-orange tower, built
to resemble the Eiffel Tower in Paris, is
the world’s tallest self-supporting steel
tower. It is 43 feet taller than its French
counterpart.
Along with being one of Tokyo’s
most visible tourist attractions, it has
been used since its completion on Dec.
23, 1958, as a radio and television relay
station.
Though it has been panned by some
as an eyesore and has lost some of its
shine as Tokyo’s skyline has grown up
around it, the tower continues to be one
of the most popular sites in the city for
visitors.
About 2.5 million people visit the
tower each year, and more than 157
Associated Press
Yen-Dollar Rate
www.rafu.com
Garden Grove Man Arrested for Strangling Mother
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Sports........................................2
Horse’s Mouth..........................3
Obituaries.................................3
Classifieds................................4
$
The San Fernando Valley Japanese Human Relations Commission.
American Citizens League Installation
Special recognition will be given to
of Officers will be held at
Phil Shigekuni and Paul Tsu11:30 a.m. on Sunday, Jan.
neishi, who spearheaded the
25, at the Odyssey Restaurant
redress movement in Southern
in Granada Hills.
California twenty years ago.
Luncheon speaker Robin
Luncheon tickets are $35.
Toma was the lead attorThere will be a buffet lunch at
ney in seeking redress for
the Odyssey Restaurant, 15600
over 2,200 Japanese Latin
Odyssey Dr., Granada Hills
Americans who were forcibly
91344, (818) 366-6444.
brought to the United States
See any SFV JACL Board
and imprisoned by the United Robin Toma
Member for tickets or contact
States government during
Nancy Gohata at nancygoWorld War II. He is the exhata@yahoo.com or call
ecutive director of the L.A. County (818) 899-4237.
Tokyo Tower Marks 50th Anniversary
Inside Today’s Rafu
DOLLAR UP: The dollar was
higher on the Tokyo foreign
exchange market Monday
finishing at 89.84-86
compared to 88.92-95
on Friday.
Please see API Health, page 4
Toma to Speak at SFV JACL Installation
A Garden Grove man accused of
strangling his 71-year-old mother was
arrested on suspicion of murder and was
being held Monday in lieu of $1 million
bail, police said.
Son Richard Lam Nguyen, 30, was
arrested just after noon on Sunday,
said Garden Grove police Lt. Dave
Kivler.
He’s accused of killing Nuong Thu
what’s happening?
NATIONAL HARBOR, MD.—The Asian
& Pacific Islander Health Forum (APIAHF) was chosen to present key lessons
about eliminating health disparities during the National Institutes of Health’s
first Research Summit on the Science of
Eliminating Health Disparities.
Six of 12 Health Through Action
(HTA) Community Partnerships Grant
recipients were also chosen to present
findings on their work to provide more
effective health care services and advocate for systems changes within their
communities.
The NIH summit, held Dec. 16-18 in
National Harbor, MD, brought together
leaders from around the country to share
the latest research on eliminating health
and health care disparities. During the
NIH’s first-ever summit on health disparities, APIAHF and six HTA grantees
from five states shared strategies to
eliminate health and health care disparities and inequities in Asian American,
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander
communities. Examples include:
Asian Pacific Islanders with Disabilities of California: Asian and Pacific
Islanders with disabilities face many
challenges in obtaining rehabilitation
services because of cultural stigma and
language barriers. APIDC is exploring
how a community-based approach can
reduce these barriers.
The Ohio Asian American Health
Coalition: This statewide program has
created a learning community to share
resources, data and best practices to address Hepatitis B in the Asian and Pacific
Young Tokyoites gather near the
Tokyo Tower celebrate the New Year
in this January 2005 file photo.
million have visited since it was opened
to the public.