National

ST. PAUL, Minn. (Kyodo) — A Republican administration under John McCain would look forward to Japan’s leadership role in Asia and worldwide, according to the 2008 Republican Party platform adopted Sept. 1.

“Our long-standing alliance with Japan has been the foundation for peace and prosperity in Asia, and we look for Japan to forge a leadership role in regional and global affairs,’’ the document said.

The platform was adopted on the opening day of the four-day Republican National Convention.

HIROSHIMA — While in Japan to attend the G8 Speakers’ Conference in Tokyo and Hiroshima, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) and other conference participants visited the Hiroshima Cenotaph and Peace Memorial Museum on Sept. 2.

Pelosi entered the following inscription in the visitors’ register at the museum: “The visit to Hiroshima is a powerful reminder of the destructiveness of war, underscoring the urgency for all nations to promote peace and to build a better world.”

LPGA Commissioner Carolyn Bivens has issued a defense of the association’s much-criticized language policy, saying that it is not aimed at a particular group of golfers and that it will be beneficial to the LPGA and the golfers themselves.

HIROSHIMA (Kyodo) — U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi laid flowers
at a monument in Hiroshima dedicated to atomic-bomb victims, becoming the highest serving U.S. dignitary to visit the city on which the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb in 1945.

Pelosi paid a floral tribute at the Hiroshima Peace Park along with her Group of Eight counterparts ahead of the start of a meeting of lower house speakers from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the U.S.

The Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) has joined the “No on Prop. 8 — Equality for All” campaign in support of marriage equality in the state of California.

This campaign is an effort to defeat Proposition 8, which is on the November ballot. If enacted, the state would not recognize any marriage that is not between a man and a woman.

The JACL has been an advocate of marriage equality for years, being one of the first non-LGBT (lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender) organizations in the nation to support this issue.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The U.S. Army Human Resources Command reminds World War II infantrymen who served in ground combat against an armed enemy between Dec. 7, 1941 and Sept. 2, 1945 that they are eligible to apply for a Bronze Star Medal (BSM).

Approval is virtually certain for recipients of the Combat Infantryman’s Badge (CIB) or Combat Medic’s Badge (CMB). The Army regulations which govern this award may be found in AR 600-8-22, Military Awards.

Bryan Clay became the first American since Dan O’Brien in 1996 to win gold in the decathlon, earning the distinction of “World’s Greatest Athlete.”

The silver medalist in Athens in 2004 and world champion in 2005, he led the 2008 decathlon competition from the start, taking first or second in five of the 10 events and third in two others.

A native of Honolulu and current Los Angeles resident of Japanese and African American parentage, Clay joins fellow decathlon gold medalists O’Brien, Jim Thorpe and Bruce Jenner as Wheaties champions.

SACRAMENTO — Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi (D-Hayward) this week announced her disappointment with the Ladies Professional Golf Association’s (LPGA) new policy that states all players must speak English or face suspension.

The LPGA has pointed to the need for players to be able to entertain sponsors in pro-am tournaments as the reason for the decision.

DENVER — Tammy Duckworth, director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs and former Democratic candidate for Congress, led off the final hour of the Democratic National Convention program on Aug. 27, speaking about military policy and veterans' care.

A Thai American, Duckworth graduated from McKinley High School in Honolulu, the alma mater of Sen. Daniel Inouye, and also from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Duckworth lost both of her legs in November 2004 due to injuries she suffered when the helicopter she was piloting was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade.

The Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) is speaking out against the LPGA’s recent decision to require its players to speak English or risk suspension.

“The JACL does not accept the LPGA rationale that this rule is needed to increase its marketability and ensure public interest at pro-am events,” the JACL said in a statement. “Rather than invoke this rule, which would require players who have been on the LPGA Tour for two years to pass an English evaluation by the end of 2009, the LPGA should reconsider and retract this action ...