Stewart Ishimaru

WASHINGTON (April 30, 2012) — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced that Stuart Ishimaru has been selected to head the newly established Office of Minority and Women Inclusion.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau established its Office of Minority and Women Inclusion in January 2012.  Mr. Ishimaru comes to the CFPB from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

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By CARLOS GALLEGO
AAP staff writer 

MINNEAPOLIS (April 28, 2012) — A great value for the dollar was to be with a record-setting 20 bouts with Minnesota’s best MMA amateur and professional fighters give Japan their best in Extreme 33, a cage fighting night at the Target Center.

With 3,417 in attendance there was plenty to watch as regular fighters on the local fight scene mixed it up with new faces in both the amateur and professional ranks. In the end Japan came out ahead in international matches 2 to 1.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Barack Obama on April 26, 2012 named the late Gordon Hirabayashi as one of 13 recipients of this year’s Presidential Medal of Freedom awards. It is the nation’s highest civilian honor presented to Hirabayashi, who passed away earlier this year on Jan. 2.

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Japan America Society of Minnesota presents its next Corporate Roundtable on Wednesday, May 16, from 8 a.m. at Gray Plant Mooty Mooty & Bennett, P.A., IDS Center, 80 S 8th St. Minneapolis, MN 55402.

Enhance your understanding of the Japanese market with the Japan America Society of Minnesota Corporate Roundtable, a program featuring speakers from the Board of Directors, corporate member companies and their colleagues from Japan.

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WASHINGTON (April 30, 2012) — The White House Office of the Press Secretary reported that President Barack Obama welcomed Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda of Japan on Monday to discuss United States-Japan Cooperative Initiatives.

It is the first visit to the United States by a Japanese Prime Minister in the bilateral context since the change of government took place in Japan.

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 HONOLULU – Mayor Bernard Carvalho, Jr. and Kaua’i County Film Commissioner Art Umezu were among the invited guests at a memorial reception Sunday at the Japanese Cultural Center in Honolulu.

The event commemorated the one-year anniversary of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan last March.

In his remarks, Mayor Carvalho described how he felt when he visited Iwaki City last October to attend the Rejuvenation event, and also talked about Kaua’i’s newly formed sister-city relationship with Iwaki City.

The mayor said, “I was deeply touched by your boundless energy, and resilience, despite the challenges you face, and as your sister city, we stand ready to assist you in whatever way we can.”

Umezu, whose family roots lie in Fukushima, Japan talked about the connections Kaua’i has made with Iwaki City over the last 20 years, including: the student exchange program between Kaua’i Community College and Iwaki East Japan International University; hula and cultural exchange programs; and the exchange programs between the Kaua’i Marathon and the Iwaki Sunshine Marathon.

He noted, “It was a very special day when the highly esteemed Japanese kumu hula Kaleinani Hayakawa flew to Kaua’i 12 years ago and planted a ‘hula tree’ on the grounds of the Kaua’i War Memorial Convention Hall.”

Other distinguished guests at the commemorative event included: Gov. Neil Abercrombie; former Gov. George Ariyoshi; Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle; and Gen. Gary North, commander of the Pacific Air Forces.

The reception concluded with a 15-minute video presentation titled “Thank you from Japan”, and a presentation by exchange students from the Sendai Ikuei Gakuen Academy, where major damage occurred following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 22, 2012) — The Department of the Interior on Thursday announced that the National Park Service is awarding funding to help preserve and interpret the U.S. confinement sites where more than 120,000 Japanese Americans were detained during World War II.

The 17 grants, totaling nearly $2.9 million, are part of Interior’s ongoing efforts to capture and tell a more inclusive story of American history.

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(Photos by Mark Langill/LA Dodgers)

LOS ANGELES (March 15, 2012) — The non-profit group Ashinaga brought a group of student runners from the Tohoku region of Japan to Los Angeles to run the L.A. Marathon, including two children that were orphaned by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan a year ago.

The group was treated to a tour of Dodger Stadium Thursday, complete with lunch courtesy of the Dodgers before running the L.A. Marathon this weekend to raise funds to build an orphanage in Japan.

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BLOOMINGTON  — March 11 marks the one-year anniversary of the fifth largest earthquake recorded. Japan’s horrific tsunami and damaging after effects are still felt today. The Bloomington Sister City Organization will be honoring Japan and their recovery during its annual Taste of Japan event held Saturday, March 24, 2012 at 6 p.m. at the Hilton Minneapolis/Bloomington, 3900 American Boulevard West.

The event will feature a silent auction and Japanese themed dinner with live entertainment from CODA, Sansei Yonsei Kai dance group and a Japanese sword demonstration.

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Among the many elite MMA fighters from across the globe at CFX Cage Fighting Xtreme 33 scheduled for 6 p.m. at Target Center on Saturday, April 28 will be a Minnesota native who proudly served his country and is now trying to make a name for himself in the cage.

Minnetonka native Jeremy Hamilton (8-1) will fight in his first main event when he takes on former UFC and Bellator veteran Yoshiyuki Yoshida (13-6) of Japan.

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