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U.S.A. / SPORTS November 19, 2018 THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 7 War-trophy bells returning to help U.S., Philippine ties BELLS OF BALANGIGA. War-trophy bells seized by U.S. troops more than a century ago received a send-off back to the Philippines by U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis, who called the controversial decision to repatriate them an important gesture of friendship between the two countries. U.S. Army soldiers took the bells after an attack killed 48 American troops in 1901 during the U.S. occupation of the Philippines. Two of the bells are pictured at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The third is with the U.S. Army in South Korea. (AP Photo/Mead Gruver) By Mead Gruver The Associated Press C HEYENNE, Wyo. — War-trophy bells seized by U.S. troops more than a century ago received a send-off back to the Philippines by U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis, who called the controversial decision to repatriate them an important gesture of friendship between the two countries. Some veterans and officials in the U.S. oppose returning the Bells of Balangiga, calling them memorials to American war dead. But Filipinos revere the bells as symbols of national pride. U.S. Army soldiers took the bells after an attack killed 48 American troops in 1901 during the U.S. occupation of the Philippines. Two of the Bells of Balangiga are at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, and the third is with the U.S. Army in South Korea. Philippine presidents including current President Rodrigo Duterte have re- peatedly called for the bells’ return. Now, President Donald Trump’s administration has agreed that bolstering the U.S. relationship with a key international ally outweighs concerns at home, even among Republican political allies. Mattis marked the start of a several- week process to return the bells to a church in the Philippines with a visit to the two bells at F.E. Warren. With him was the Philippine ambassador to the U.S., H.E. Jose Manuel G. Romualdez. “History reminds us that all wars end. In returning the Bells of Balangiga to our ally and our friend, the Philippines, we pick up our generation’s responsibility to deepen the respect between our peoples,” Mattis said in a ceremony at the base. Soldiers from the Philippines fought alongside U.S. troops in World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam War, and in the recent struggle against international terrorism, Mattis pointed out. “To those who fear that we lose something by returning the bells, please hear me when I say that the bells mark time, but courage is timeless,” Mattis said. Those opposed to returning the bells include Wyoming governor Matt Mead, a Republican. Mead took part in the ceremony even as he sides with U.S. Mayweather to fight Japanese kickboxer Nasukawa in December TOKYO (AP) — Floyd Mayweather is planning to fight Japanese kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa December 31 in Saitama, north of Tokyo. The 41-year-old Mayweather is 50-0 in his boxing career but has never fought professionally under Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) rules, although he did have a lucrative win over MMA fighter Conor McGregor last year. Japanese promoter RIZIN Fighting Federation has said rules and the weight class for the bout have not been set. “We still have some work to do,” said Nobuyuki Sakakibara, the RIZIN chairman. The 20-year-old Nasukawa, speaking at a news conference alongside Mayweather, called it “probably the biggest event of my life so far.” He also vowed to end Mayweather’s long string of victories. “Nobody has defeated my opponent in the past, and I would like to be the man who makes history,” Nasukawa said, speaking through an interpreter. “My punch can change history. And I will show that to you. So please stay tuned.” Mayweather sat calmly and then praised his young opponent. “I think he’s young, very strong, and very fast, and he’s undefeated so it’s obvious he’s doing something right,” Mayweather said. Naomi Osaka headed for big money with Japan, global appeal Continued from page 2 father drove a Nissan while she was growing up — another in a growing line of sponsors. Besides Citizen, Osaka has deals with instant noodle-maker Nissin Foods Group, Japanese badminton and tennis racket maker Yonex Co., and athletic-wear and sneaker giant Adidas. Nissan Motor Co. signed Osaka as its three-year “brand ambassador” in September. The deal was in the works for a while, but the timing couldn’t have been better, coming right after the U.S. Open. The Yokohama-based automaker is mulling a “Naomi Osaka model” car. She is also getting keys to a silver GT-R sports car. Investing in Osaka enhances brand image for the long-term, said Masao Tsutsumi, general manager in charge of Osaka-related marketing at Nissan. He said her transformation from “every girl” to superstar parallels the automaker’s commitment to technological innovation. “She also is such a nice person veterans who worry that returning the bells could lead to the repatriation of any number of items serving as memorials to American war dead. “We know you and the president have looked at this, and the highest priority of the military of course is national security,” Mead told Mattis at the gathering of a couple hundred Air Force officers, person- nel, and family members. “We absolutely need to build those friendships.” Wyoming’s all-Republican congres- sional delegation also opposes the return of the bells, saying in a joint statement released by senator Mike Enzi spokesman Max D’Onofrio that repatriation would set a dangerous precedent for other veterans’ memorials in the U.S. while being utterly professional,” he added. Yonex has been supplying rackets to Osaka since she was 10, after receiving a letter from her mother. The Osaka effect is evident in the growing popularity of Yonex rackets among younger Americans, the company says. Appearing before Yonex employees in Tokyo, Osaka drew affectionate laughter by insisting on addressing the crowd in Japanese, though she managed only a few words, including onaji, or “the same,” said Nori Shimojo, the company’s official in charge of tennis player service. At just 21, Osaka’s got plenty of time to learn the language of her birthplace if she wants to. As for her sponsorship windfall, she is shrugging it all off. “I wouldn’t really know because I have never been in this territory,” she said during a recent tournament in Singapore. “For me, I just focus on my matches, and, I mean, like I’m a tennis player, so I just play tennis.” Sandra Harwitt in Singapore contributed to this report. Runaway elephant returned to sanctuary WESTTOWN, N.Y. (AP) — An elephant that was burned by napalm during the Vietnam War has been returned to an upstate New York animal sanctuary after taking a late-night stroll. State police said they went to the Sanctuary for Animals in Westtown when they received a call about a wandering elephant. Amanda Brook, whose family owns the sanctuary, told the Times Herald- Record that the 46-year-old Asian elephant named Fritha has lived at the sanctuary most of her life. She wandered off after a worker forgot to turn on an electric fence that keeps 2 her in her designated space at night. Her owners and troopers found her nearby and escorted her back home. The sanctuary also runs Dawn Animal Agency, which provides animals for movies, commercials, and talk shows. TALKING STORY IN ASIAN AMERICA n Polo Polo’s “Talking Story” column will return soon. 8 5 7 4 6 3 7 7 1 7 8 9 6 3 8 6 1 8 9 4 3 4 5 Difficulty EASY 3 6 2 1 9 level: Easy 4 7 #28577 # 37 Instructions: Fill in the grid so that the digits 1 through 9 appear one time each in every row, col- umn, and 3x3 box. Solution to last issue’s puzzle Puzzle #17968 (Hard) All solutions available at <www.sudoku.com>. 8 7 9 6 2 4 5 1 3 4 6 5 1 7 3 2 9 8 2 3 1 5 9 8 7 6 4 1 8 6 2 3 7 4 5 9 7 5 4 8 6 9 3 2 1 3 9 2 4 5 1 8 7 6 5 1 7 3 4 6 9 8 2 9 4 8 7 1 2 6 3 5 6 2 3 9 8 5 1 4 7