By BEN HAMAMOTO
Nichi Bei Times

The shopping center at Tanforan on the San Francisco Peninsula does not look much different from any number of suburban malls today. A massive concrete parking lot surrounds the building full of such staples as Old Navy, Barnes & Noble, Nine West, and JCPenney. Families walk back to their SUVs clutching bags bearing the names of those shops, and maybe even an Orange Julius or Starbucks cup.

By BEN HAMAMOTO
Nichi Bei Times

On May 31, to coincide with the end of Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month and the beginning of Gay Pride Month, several prominent San Francisco Bay Area Asian American faith leaders held a press conference to announce their support of lesbian and gay families and equality.

In this Nichi Bei Times exclusive series, Dr. Greg Robinson, author of “By the Order of the President: FDR and the Internment of Japanese Americans,” examines little-known but prominent figures in Japanese American history.

By GREG ROBINSON
Nichi Bei Times Contributor

Hugh MacBeth, Sr. an African American attorney from Los Angeles, is largely forgotten today, but he deserves commemoration as an outstanding defender of Japanese Americans during World War II.

By BILLIE LEE
Nichi Bei Times Correspondent

SAN JOSE — Walking a straight line was not difficult for the hundreds who attended the recent “Sake San Jose” in Japantown. The event was presented by Yu-Ai Kai/Japanese American Community Senior Service as one of their annual fundraisers.

Many Japanese Americans have risen to the top echelon of the military service. At least 33 Americans of Japanese ancestry have attained the rank of general and admirals of the United States military services and they represent all services except the Marine Corps. This is part of an ongoing series of profiles.

By ANSHO MAS UCHIMA and MINORU SHINMOTO
Nichi Bei Times Contributors

Brigadier General (Retired) Paul Yukio Chinen served in Vietnam as a combat engineer, involved in opening and constructing roads and airfields, and detecting and removing mines. Excelling in these missions, he went on to become a instructor in engineer school, teaching younger officers skills related to combat engineering, leading to his promotion as brigadier general.

SACRAMENTO — Special events and tours will mark the opening of California State University, Sacramento’s new Sokiku Nakatani Tea Room and Garden, one of just a handful of tea rooms on a U.S. campus.

NEW YORK (Kyodo) — Microsoft Corp. of the United States and Namco Bandai Games Inc. of Japan on June 5 unveiled the Pac-Man video game title’s new version — the first update in about 27 years — for use only on the Xbox 360 console.

By KEIJI HIRANO
Kyodo News

TOKYO — While references to wartime sex slavery have almost disappeared from textbooks, efforts to hand down its history and to unite with former so-called “comfort women” on a grassroots level are continuing, panelists at a Tokyo symposium said June 2.

By DREW MORITA
Nichi Bei Times

Former NFL wide receiver Johnnie Morton, 35, was knocked out by Ivory Coast native Bernard Ackah in his mixed martial arts debut on June 2 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Two graduating high school students were awarded the Nikkei Youth Sports Scholarship (NYSS) from the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC), in partnership with the Ronald McDonald House Charities/Asian Students Increasing Achievement (RMHC/ASIA).