Irene Takei Miura, the first Asian American and second female to become the California Alumni Association President and a former UC Regent, passed away on July 29, 2007 after a seven-year battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 68 years old.

By LIZETH CAZARES
New America Media

SACRAMENTO — Jessica Zou’s parents want her to go to school, get good grades, find a high-paying job and avoid causing trouble — like getting into politics.

By DREW MORITA
Nichi Bei Times

On an NHK (Nippon Hoso Kyokai) radio broadcast at noon on August 15, 1945, Emperor Hirohito addressed his nation for the first time. Hirohito’s recorded speech, known as the "Imperial Rescript on the Termination of the War," was played for the citizens of Japan. Hirohito announced that Japan had accepted the terms set forth in the Potsdam Declaration, which called for an unconditional surrender and an end to hostilities.

LOS ANGELES — The Amache Historical Society, an organization formed by those who were confined in the former Granada (Amache) concentration camp during World War II and dedicated to preserving the history and remains of that former camp in Southeastern Colorado, announced that it has been collecting relief funds for the victims of a tornado that struck the area.

The San Francisco Japantown Foundation announced this week that applications for its first round of grants will be available starting at noon on Friday, Aug. 10.

This will be the foundation’s initial disbursement of awards since its establishment in December 2006.

SANTA ROSA, Calif. — The opening ceremony of the Nagasawa Community Park was held July 28. The 33-acre park is dedicated to the memory of Kanaye Nagasawa, a samurai of Satsuma (Kagoshima) Japan and a prominent Sonoma County viticulturist-enologist and pioneer of U.S-Japan relationships. He was born in Kagoshima in 1852 and died in Santa Rosa in 1934.

By BEN HAMAMOTO
Nichi Bei Times

"Growing up I was always into Japanese stuff," Steven Okazaki explains on the morning of the Bay Area premiere of his latest film, "White Light/Black Rain." "Some Japanese stuff is okay to be into, like judo, and other Japanese stuff is not."

By CRYSTAL WONG
Kyodo News

NEW YORK — Filmmaker Risa Morimoto’s new documentary, "Wings of Defeat," is a powerful exploration of Japan’s complex World War II history, including the Japanese American’s own family history and the pasts of four kamikaze pilots who talk candidly about their experiences in the film.

By CRYSTAL WONG
Kyodo News

NEW YORK — A co-producer of "Nanking," an intimate U.S. documentary about the 1937 Japanese occupation of the city, now known as Nanjing, has expressed hopes that the film, which uses only firsthand accounts to tell its story, can help jump-start stalled communication between young Japanese and Chinese as it is screened around the world.

The Face Shop, the award winning global cosmetic company, is holding a “Natural Beauty Contest” to celebrate its grand entrance in the Bay Area and West Coast.

The company is partnering with nine ethnic media companies and a modeling agency to find a Natural Face to represent its “Natural Story” line of over 1,000 skincare and cosmetic products in the Bay Area.

The Nichi Bei Times is helping to locate spokesmodels of Japanese descent.