Editorials
Tuesday, October 29, 1996
Japanese diplomat’s
warning about crime
AN extraordinary warning from the Japanese consul general should be taken very seriously. The diplomat, Kishichiro Amae, has written to Mayor Harris to protest crimes against Japanese visitors. The letter was prompted by two robberies of Japanese tourists while playing golf at the adjacent Makaha golf courses. Amae wrote that "it is almost inconceivable to a visitor from Japan that he or she could be threatened by bandits in broad daylight on a golf course."
The consul general recommended that "vigorous action be taken immediately." Without the assurance of safety, Amae wrote, "flourishing business activity" is not possible. As an illustration he cited a sharp decline in Japanese investments in the Philippines after a Japanese businessman was kidnapped in Manila. The Filipinos, he wrote, took security measures to "rebuild their fallen image and status."
Tourism relies on appealing images that are fragile and easily shattered. Street crime is rare in Japan and the Japanese make easy targets when abroad because they often do not take precautions against criminals. The Japanese generally regard Hawaii as a safe place to visit, but if that perception changes the flow of visitors from Japan - now a vital segment of Hawaii tourism - could dwindle, with disastrous results for Hawaii's economy.
City Managing Director Bob Fishman said Amae told him "he was very comfortable in continuing to strongly recommend Japanese visitors to come to Honolulu." But the implication of his letter was that could change if the city fails to take action.
Part of the answer is stronger efforts to alert Japanese visitors to the need to protect their valuables. However, more effective law enforcement is a must.
The city administration and the Honolulu Police Department are aware of the problem and are trying to deal with it. Councilman Andy Mirikitani, who released the consul general's letter, is proposing a citizens' patrol in which private citizens would patrol trouble spots in donated rental cars and file reports for police investigation. This idea should be studied, but there is much more to be corrected that citizens' patrols can't solve - such as a shortage of prison space.
Everyone here, resident and visitor alike, is a potential target of criminals, and no one would suggest that the safety of residents be sacrificed to protect visitors. Yet it is undeniable that crimes against tourists could damage Hawaii's leading industry. The consul general's warning should serve as an alert to a real threat to the city and state's prosperity.
Jewell's innocence
GOVERNMENT zeal in trying to solve a major crime and media intensity in reporting every leak of information about it can thrust ordinary citizens into the public spotlight. Richard Jewell was pushed through that brutal gauntlet, first as a hero and then a villain, before being cleared by the FBI of any suspicion of blame for the July 27 bomb blast at Atlanta's Olympic Centennial Park. Reporters and investigators should heed Jewell's tearful complaint about his nightmare.
Talks with Iran
A little-noticed speech by a U.S. diplomat in Abu Dhabi could signal the beginning of a new initiative in the Middle East. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Robert Pelletreau called for the U.S. and Iran to start talks.
The Reagan administration's overtures to Iranian so-called moderates ended in the fiasco of Iran-Contra. But the fact that the call for talks comes from a diplomat who is authorized to speak for the Clinton administration is significant. Pelletreau would not be talking this way if he did not think there was some chance of success.
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Rupert E. Phillips, CEO
John M. Flanagan, Editor & Publisher
David Shapiro, Managing Editor
Diane Yukihiro Chang, Senior Editor & Editorial Page Editor
Frank Bridgewater & Michael Rovner, Assistant Managing Editors
A.A. Smyser, Contributing Editor