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ASIA / PACIFIC Page 4 n THE ASIAN REPORTER September 17, 2018 Tokyo chief opens replacement for city’s iconic fish market By Yuri Kageyama AP Business Writer OKYO — As a brass band blared “Anchors Aweigh,” Tokyo’s governor led the opening ceremony for the Japanese capital’s new fish market and tried to assuage concerns about contamina- tion at the site that delayed the move from the famed Tsukiji market. The new Toyosu market won’t open for business until October 11, but hundreds of government and fisheries industry officials in dark suits came to the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the sprawling facility. Wholesale fish sales have ended at Tsukiji, which opened in 1935 and became one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions. After taking a tour of the new facility, Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike told the crowd that Toyosu will carry on the “Tsukiji brand,” which repre- sents a food culture loved around the world. “Safety has been ensured,” she said. “Steps have been taken.” Koike delayed the move scheduled for November 2016 after an inspection found arsenic and other contaminants in the groundwater at the site. Tsukiji became a favorite tourist spot for its array of tiny sushi restaurants, shops selling Japanese knives, and stalls hawking hundreds of species of seafood as well as sweets. Yet it is also a working market, where an average of 1.6 billion yen, or about $14.5 million, worth of seafood is moved each day. T ICONIC IMAGES. In this circa 1987 photo, former Associated Press photographer Kim Chonkil looks at negatives at the Seoul, South Korea bureau. He is wearing a cast because he broke his arm when he was caught between rock-throwing students and riot police. Kim, whose im- ages captured South Korea’s turbulent transition from dictatorship to democracy, has died at age 89. (AP Photo/Corporate Archives) Former AP photojournalist Kim Chonkil dies at age 89 By Kim Tong-Hyung The Associated Press S EOUL, South Korea — Former Associated Press photojournalist Kim Chonkil, whose images captured South Korea’s turbulent transition from dictatorship to democracy, has died. He was 89 years old. Kim’s son, Kim Kuchul, said he died in New York after fighting kidney and respiratory problems. Kim covered South Korea for The AP for nearly 40 years until leaving the company in 1987, a period during which the country rose from the devastation of the 1950-1953 Korean War into an Asian industrial power and a full-fledged democracy following a bloody struggle against dictatorship. Kim will be remembered for one of the most iconic photos in South Korea’s history — a May 1961 photo of Gen. Park Chung-hee, in an army cap and sunglasses, observing a march of military cadets in the capital, Seoul, two days after seizing power in a coup. For most South Koreans, it was the first time they saw the staunch anti-communist dictator who would rule the country for nearly 20 years before being assassinated in 1979. Park left a mixed legacy as a successful economic strategist and a brutal strongman who tortured and executed dissidents. “He was at the very front line of recording South Korea’s contemporary history,” Paul Shin, a longtime AP writer, said about his former colleague Kim. “He always tried harder than others to be at the scene. He had a strong sense of responsibility, but was also a very generous person.” Kim was hired by The AP during the Korean War, initially helping American reporters as an interpreter and translator before formally getting a job as a photo- journalist. He also covered the fall of South Korea’s first president, Syngman Rhee, who fled into exile in Hawai‘i in 1960 amid nationwide protests over election-rigging suspicions and the 1980 pro-democracy demonstrations in the southern city of Gwangju, where hundreds died in a violent crackdown. Kim also covered a wave of pro-democracy protests in 1987 that eventually forced the government of Chun Doo-hwan, another army general who took power in a coup weeks after Park’s death, to accept free presidential elections. Kim left The AP later in 1987 and worked as a photo editor for TIME magazine during the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. He immigrated to the United States in 1993 and settled in New York. He is survived by his wife and three children. A funeral is planned in New York. MARKET MOVES. Part of the new Toyosu market is seen prior to the opening ceremony for the new site of Tokyo’s fish market. Tokyo’s hugely popular Tsukiji fish market will be closed for up to five years while it is modernized and turned into a food theme park. The fish market’s move to Toyosu was originally scheduled for last year, but was delayed due to underground water contami- nation at the new complex. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) This past weekend was the last time its iconic early morning auction opened for visitors. The city’s plan calls for a new mall-like facility for Tsukiji, including a theme park. Some of the stores and restaurants in the area surrounding Tsukiji’s wholesale market and auction area will stay, but its core fish market operations are moving to Toyosu. Officials hope the new state-of-the- art market at Toyosu will also become a tourist attraction. The move to Toyosu has been unpopular from the start because an earlier plan envisioned keeping the fish market in Tsukiji by modernizing the facility with construction while it continued to operate. Tsukiji is closer to central Tokyo. The city under Koike’s predeces- sors decided an updated facility was needed for sanitation and efficiency reasons. The proposal was damaged by the discovery of contaminants at the new site, and some critics have said consumer confidence can’t be restored, despite assurances that the new facility has since been made safe. Almost every speaker at the opening ceremony talked about how long the struggle had been for the move, including wrangling among city lawmakers. Takaaki Yamazaki, the head of Koto Ward, where Toyosu is located, used the Japanese expression for moving beyond the past with water, to welcome the new market. “Let’s wash all that away and let bygones be bygones,” he said. Did you know that diabetes is the leading cause of adult blindness, kidney failure, and amputations? Diabetes is a growing problem for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. But you can manage your diabetes and stay healthy – now and in the future – by controlling your blood sugar levels. Keep your blood sugar close to normal by choosing healthy foods and getting regular exercise. Take your prescribed medications and test your blood sugar on a regular basis. Manage your diabetes. You’ll feel better and have more energy. Best of all, you will lower your chances for serious health problems. Call 1-800-860-8747 to learn more. Or visit www.ndep.nih.gov. Did you miss last issue’s Asia Blips? Find them online at <www.asianreporter.com>!