VOL 41 NO 28 | JULY 9 – JULY 15, 2022

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VOL 41 NO 28 JULY 9 – JULY 15, 2022

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A celebration of the Japanese Americans’ achievements

Photo by Assunta Ng

Biden awards Medal of Honor for Vietnam heroism

Lori Matsukawa: Recipient of Japanese Emperor’s Rising Sun Award

From left: WA Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, Seattle Port Commissioner Toshiko Hasegawa, Lori Matsukawa, Ambassador to the U.S. Koji Tomita, Consul General of Japan Hisao Inagaki, Lt. Gov. Denny Heck, and Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell.

President Joe Biden presents the Medal of Honor to Staff Sgt. Edward Kaneshiro for his actions during the Vietnam War, as his son John Kaneshiro accepts the posthumous recognition during a White House ceremony on July 5.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden bestowed the nation’s highest military honor to four Army soldiers on July 5— including two Japanese Americans—for heroism during the Vietnam War, bravery that he said had not diminished even with the passage of time. Biden presented the Medal of Honor to Staff Sgt. Edward N. Kaneshiro, Spc. Five Dwight W. Birdwell, Spc. Five Dennis M. Fujii, and retired Maj. John J. Duffy. Speaking at a ceremony in the White House East Room, Biden praised their heroism, noting that many like them don’t receive “the full recognition they deserve.” “Today, we’re setting the record straight. We’re upgrading the awards of four soldiers who performed acts of incredible heroism during the Vietnam conflict,” Biden said. “It’s just astounding when you hear what each of them have done,” he said. “They went far above and beyond the call of duty. It’s a phrase always used but ... it takes on life when you see these men.” Addressing the three living soldiers and

relatives of Kaneshiro, who is deceased, the president said, “I’m proud to finally award our highest military recognition, the Medal of Honor, to each of you.” Biden noted that more than 50 years had passed “since the jungles of Vietnam where, as young men, these soldiers first proved their mettle. But time has not diminished their astonishing bravery, their selflessness in putting the lives of others ahead of their own and the gratitude that we as a nation owe them.” Kaneshiro, killed in action by hostile gunfire in Vietnam in 1967, received his honor posthumously for a Dec. 1, 1966 raid where his unit came under fire by North Vietnamese troops. His actions were credited with helping his unit withdraw from the village where they were fighting. Kaneshiro was born and raised in Hawaii, a son of Japanese immigrants. Fujii received a Medal of Honor for actions over four days in February 1971 treating wounded and directing air strikes against enemy positions after his air ambulance was forced to crash land. 

PICTORIAL 37th annual naturalization ceremony at Seattle Center celebrates diversity, freedom, and citizenship ON THE SHELF For the love of our parents

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Victor Kai Wang: A life of art

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FOOD Recipe: Load up steak banh mi with contrasting textures

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see MATSUKAWA on 16

Local community benefits from man’s pickleball passion

Gordon Sata getting ready for a game of pickleball

By Juliet Fang NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

THE INSIDE STORY

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On June 29, movers and shakers gathered at the residence of the Consul General of Japan to honor former KING TV anchor Lori Matsukawa, recipient of the Emperor of Japan’s Order of the Rising Sun Award. Ambassador of Japan Tomita Koji was in Seattle to present the award

to Matsukawa for her work as cofounder of the Japanese Community Cultural Center of Washington State (JCCCW). Established in 1875, the prestigious award is for those who have made distinguished achievements in international relations, promotion of Japanese culture, and other services.

Photo provided by Gordon Sata

AP Photo/Evan Vucci

By Assunta Ng NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Plunk! Plunk! Plunk! These are the sounds emanating from Seattle’s tennis courts as pickleball, a tennis-adjacent sport that uses paddles, gains popularity in the city. Gordon Sata, a board member of Seattle Metro Pickleball Association and devout pickleball player, has inspired this pickleballplaying craze amongst Seattleites by regularly hosting playing events for all ages and experience levels. “I love pickleball because anyone can play the game,” Sata says passionately. “It’s a great group activity.” Pickleball’s accessibility for nov-

ices and experts alike was woven into the development of the sport early on by founders Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum. Bored one summer evening on Bainbridge Island, the men improvised a game using ping-pong paddles, a plastic ball, and an old badminton court. The men, realizing how fun the game was, created rules and officially founded the sport of pickleball in 1965. Since then, the sport has been named “the fastest growing sport in the United States,” with almost 5 million players. Sata was introduced to pickleball by way of his father, who often see PICKLEBALL on 15

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VOL 41 NO 28 | JULY 9 – JULY 15, 2022 by Northwest Asian Weekly - Issuu