ASIA / COMMUNITY
Page 24 n THE ASIAN REPORTER
February 1, 2016
Metal on Thai beach likely to be rocket, not plane part
METALLIC MYSTERY. Thai people look at a
large chunk of metal found on a beach in Nakhon Si
Thammarat province, Thailand. A Japanese rocket
maker has said the large piece of metal that washed
up on a beach in Thailand is likely part of a rocket
launched by Japan, not the missing Malaysian plane.
The discovery of the metal sparked speculation that it
might be from Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which dis-
appeared almost two years ago. (AP Photo/File)
By Mari Yamaguchi
The Associated Press
OKYO — A Japanese rocket maker
says a large piece of metal that
washed up on a beach in Thailand
is likely part of a rocket launched by
Japan, not the missing Malaysian plane.
The discovery of the metal sparked
speculation that it might be from Malaysia
Airlines Flight 370, which disappeared
almost two years ago.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries said the
metal piece is “highly likely” to be part of a
Japanese H-IIA or H-IIB rocket that was
launched from southern Japan, based on
an initial examination of photos and videos
of the object.
Company
spokeswoman
Sayo
Suwashita said officials are trying to
determine which rocket and its launch
date. Rocket debris falls into the ocean
after every launch, and most is collected,
but sometimes pieces can be found some
distance from the launch site, including in
foreign waters, she said.
Thai air force and civil aviation
authorities said they were unaware of the
statement from Japan, while the agency
within the Transport Ministry that
investigates aviation accidents was
T
unavailable for comment.
Japan has launched H-IIA and H-IIB
rockets since the 2000s. The most recent
H-IIA launch was in November 2015.
Flight 370 took off from Malaysia in
March 2014. It lost communications and
made a sharp turn away from its Beijing
destination before disappearing. It is
presumed to have crashed in the southern
Indian Ocean, far away from Thailand.
The debris was found on the eastern
coast of southern Thailand’s Nakhon Si
Thammarat province, about 370 miles
This issue’s
Community
Calendar
is brought
to you by:
“Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion”
Through May 1, 10am-5pm (Mon-Sat), noon-5pm (Sun),
Oregon Historical Society Museum (1200 SW Park Ave,
Portland). View “Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion,” a
travelling exhibit that chronicles the complex history of the
Chinese in America, from the early days of China trade to the
history of Chinese immigration and the life of Chinese
Americans. The display looks at the challenges of immigration,
citizenship, and belonging that shaped both the Chinese-
American experience and the development of America as a
nation. Admission to the museum is free for Multnomah County
residents and all Oregon school groups. For info, call (503)
222-1741 or visit <www.ohs.org>. To learn more, visit <www.
chineseamerican.nyhistory.org>.
“Do You Know Bruce?”
Through Sep 4 (Tue-Sun), 10am-5pm, Wing Luke Museum of
the Asian Pacific American Experience (719 S King St, Seattle).
Learn about Bruce Lee — including his impact in media during a
time of racial stereotypes and barriers — at “Do You Know
Bruce?” Part two of the display, “Breaking Barriers,” tackles
Lee’s larger-than-life impact in the media and film industry.
From “The Green Hornet” to Enter the Dragon, Lee defied
stereotypes, broke barriers, and transformed media perceptions
by insisting on playing roles of real people rather than of Chinese
male caricatures. The exhibit features a new collection of Bruce
Lee collectibles and personal belongings, highlighting the stories
behind his iconic and lesser-known onscreen roles. For info, call
(206) 623-5124, or visit <www.wingluke.org> or <www.doyou
knowbruce.com>.
“Finding Your Roots”
Feb 2, 8-9pm; repeats Feb 4, 1-2am; Oregon Public
Broadcasting (OPB). Watch an episode of “Finding Your Roots,” a
program that explores the family histories of architects Maya
Lin and Frank Gehry as well as business mogul Richard
Branson. To verify showtimes, call (503) 293-1982 or visit <www.
opb.org>.
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Feb 2-19, 10am-5pm (Mon-Sat), noon-5pm (Sun), Oregon
Historical Society Museum (1200 SW Park Ave, Portland). View
the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the highest civilian award
in the United States — of Minoru “Min” Yasui (1916-1986), the
first Japanese-American attorney in Oregon. Yasui is known for
his courageous stand against military orders that resulted in the
forced removal and imprisonment of more than 120,000 persons
of Japanese ancestry during World War II. The medal was
received posthumously from President Barack Obama on
November 24, 2015. Admission to the museum is free for
Multnomah County residents and all Oregon school groups. For
info, call (503) 222-1741 or visit <www.ohs.org>.
“Tsunagu: Connecting to the
Architecture of Kengo Kuma”
Feb 4-29 (Mon-Fri), 9am-5pm, Center for Architecture (403
NW 11th Ave, Portland). View “Tsunagu: Connecting to the
Architecture of Kengo Kuma,” an exhibit highlighting the
designs for the Portland Japanese Garden’s $33.5-million
“Cultural Crossing” expansion project. The centerpiece of the
expansion is Kuma’s design for a Cultural Village of three
LEED-certified buildings to house a learning center, library,
gallery space, and traditional tea café. The display features
south of Bangkok on the Gulf of Thailand.
Malaysian transport minister Liow
Tiong Lai said the search for the missing
jet, which carried 239 people, is ongoing
in the Indian Ocean and that its second
phase is expected to be completed by
June. Australia has led a multinational
search that has so far cost more than $120
million.
Aviation experts from Malaysia visited
Nakhon Si Thammarat to inspect the
metal piece, after which the Thai air force
flew it to Bangkok for further
examination.
The Australian Transport Safety
Bureau announced that the search of
46,000 square miles of seabed where the
Boeing 777 is thought to have crashed had
been set back after a ship lost its sonar
equipment.
The Fugro Discovery, one of three ships
conducting the search, towed its side-scan
sonar unit into a mud volcano that rose
7,200 feet from the sea floor, the bureau
said in a statement.
The ship lost the sonar unit plus 14,800
feet of cable. The ship is now making a
six-day journey to the Australian port of
Fremantle to collect new cable and will
continue the search with spare sonar
equipment, it said.
Associated Press writers Grant Peck
in Bangkok, Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia, and Rod McGuirk in Canberra,
Australia, contributed to this report.
project images and construction drawings as well as an
interactive use of space focusing on the philosophy of continuity
in Kuma’s work: continuity between nature, natural materials,
and Japanese tradition. For info, call (503) 223-8231 or visit
<www.cfapdx.org>.
Great Decisions lecture series
Feb 5, noon, Portland State University, Academic and
Student Recreation Center, Room 001 (1800 SW Sixth Ave,
Portland). Attend “Middle East Alliances,” a free talk held as part
of the World Affairs Council of Oregon’s Great Decisions lecture
series. For info, call (503) 274-7488 or visit <www.worldoregon.
org>.
Asian food market tour
Feb 6, 11am-4pm, East Portland. Join Indonesia-born chef
Surja Tjahaja for a tour of markets specializing in fresh,
inexpensive vegetables, seafood, and other Asian food in the
Portland area. The tour, which features ideas for the upcoming
Lunar New Year, includes a gourmet Asian lunch. For info,
meeting location, or to register (by February 1), call (503)
656-8910. To learn more, visit <www.chef2go.biz>.
“Tsunagu: Kengo Kuma’s
Architecture of Relationships”
Feb 6, 2-4pm, Portland Art Museum (1219 SW Park Ave,
Portland). Attend “Tsunagu: Kengo Kuma’s Architecture of
Relationships,” a free lecture and discussion by professor Botond
Bognar and Kengo Kuma exploring the architecture surrounding
Kuma’s first public project in the United States — the “Cultural
Crossing” expansion project now under construction at the
Portland Japanese Garden. For info, or to make a reservation
(required), call (503) 223-1321 or visit <www.japanesegarden.
com>.
“Sites of Meaning: Caring
for Asia’s Cultural Heritage”
Feb 6 & Feb 13, 9:30-11am, Seattle Asian Art Museum (1400
E Prospect St, in Volunteer Park, Seattle). Attend “Experimental
Preservation in the Anthropocene” (February 6) and “Buddhist
Painting: A Fragile Inheritance” (February 13) as part of the
“Saturday University” lecture series. The series — this year
themed “Sites of Meaning: Caring for Asia’s Cultural Heritage”
— is presented by the Seattle Asian Art Museum, the UW
Jackson School of International Studies, and the Elliott Bay Book
Company. For info, or to buy tickets, call (206) 654-3210 or visit
<www.seattleartmuseum.org/gardnercenter>.
“Uprooted”
Feb 11-June 19, 11am-3pm (Tue-Sat), noon-3pm (Sun),
Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center (121 NW Second Ave, Portland).
View “Uprooted: Japanese American Farm Labor Camps During
World War II,” an exhibit that tells the story of Japanese
Americans who worked as seasonal farm laborers, many in the
sugar beet industry, during World War II. The display features
images from federal photographer Russell Lee’s documentation
of Japanese-American farm labor camps near the towns of Nyssa
in Oregon and Rupert, Shelley, and Twin Falls in Idaho;
interpretative text panels; and a short documentary film
featuring firsthand accounts about life in the camps. For info, call
(503) 224-1458 or visit <www.oregonnikkei.org>.
“Game Masters”
Feb 13-May 8, 9:30am-5:30pm (Tue-Sun), Oregon Museum of
Science & Industry (1945 SE Water Ave, Portland). View “Game
Masters,” an exhibit that takes visitors through the evolution of
gaming, from arcade classics such as Missile Command and
Pac-Man, to iconic console-based games Mario, Sonic the
Hedgehog, and Zelda, through to current indie hits like Real
Racing 2, Minecraft, Machinarium, and more. The display
features more than 125 playable games as well as an in-depth
look at the game designers through rare original game artwork,
2-D objects, and revealing interviews. For info, call (503)
797-4000 or visit <www.omsi.edu>.
ZERO TAKES FLIGHT. Mitsubishi’s legendary Zero fighter flies
during a test flight at an air station in Kanoya, Kagoshima prefecture,
southern Japan. One of Mitsubishi’s legendary World War II fighter planes
took to the skies over Japan. While rented Zeroes have flown in Japan on
occasion in the past, this was the first for the widely used Model 22 of
Mitsubishi’s A6M fighter with its round wingtips. (Hiroko Harima/Kyodo
News via AP)
World War II Zero
fighter flies over Japan
By Miki Toda
The Associated Press
ANOYA, Japan — One of Mitsubishi’s legendary
World War II fighter planes took to the skies over
Japan last month.
The restored “Zero” fighter made a brief flight to and
from a naval base in southern Japan. Decorated former
U.S. Air Force pilot Skip Holm flew the aircraft.
Zero fighters were considered one of the most capable
fighter planes in World War II, rivalling the British
Spitfire. Their long range allowed them to play a
prominent role in the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. Only a
few are still in operating condition.
While rented Zeroes have flown in Japan on occasion in
the past, this was the first for the widely used Model 22 of
Mitsubishi’s A6M fighter with its round wingtips.
This particular plane was found decaying in Papua New
Guinea in the 1970s. It was owned by an American until
Japanese businessman Masahiro Ishizuka purchased it
and brought it to Japan last September.
“I wanted for the people of Japan and especially young
people to know about this Zero airplane, as well as those
who are old who remember the past,” Ishizuka said. “Each
of them should have different thoughts and perspectives
on this, but I just want people to know how Japan has
developed its technology.”
Japanese see the aircraft both as a symbol of their
country’s technological advance and a reminder of the
harrowing history of the war. In the last phase of the
fighting, they were used for kamikaze attacks.
Kamikaze pilots took off from the same airfield as the
flight last month — Kanoya Naval Air Base on the island
of Kyushu.
Under its previous American owner, the plane made an
appearance in the Hollywood movie Pearl Harbor and at
various events in the United States.
K