The group trying to save the Japanese Cultural Center from being taken over by its lenders got a boost yesterday from Gov. Linda Lingle. Lingle lends support
to Japanese center
By Russ Lynch
rlynch@starbulletin.comLingle agreed to become an honorary chairwoman of the Committee to Save the Center and pledged the campaign $1,000 from donations made to pay for her inauguration ceremony and parties.
And she told a news conference at the state Capitol she will talk to people she meets and encourage them to support the center.
"What we're asking today is that the people of Hawaii, regardless of their ethnic background, is to help to make sure that this very important Japanese Cultural Center is able to live on, not just for the Japanese community, but the community in general," she said.
Since it became apparent in the past few months that the center in Moiliili was in danger of defaulting on $9 million in construction and improvement loans, donors have promised a total of $5 million.
"There's a lot of people who didn't think we'd be at $5 million today," said Colbert Matsumoto, who chairs the committee to raise funds for the center. "Two weeks ago we were at $2.5 million. We remain very positive."
More than 5,000 people and organizations have donated so far, Matsumoto said.
In late September the center's board of directors struck a deal to sell the building for $11 million to stave off foreclosure. But members objected and formed the Committee to Save the Center.
Lingle became one of eight honorary chairpersons of the committee. The others are U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye; former Gov. George Ariyoshi; former Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono; former U.S. Rep. Pat Saiki; the Rev. Yoshiaki Fujitani, of the Honpa Hongwanji Mission; and two mainland participants in the fund raising, George Aratani and George Takei, who played Sulu in the original "Star Trek" TV series.
The fund-raising effort is separate from the activities of the overall board of directors of the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii, which is facing a Dec. 31 deadline set by lenders.
Don Takaki, the center's board chairman, said in a statement, "The Cultural Center appreciates that there are so many members of the community, including the governor, who care deeply about the center and are willing to dedicate their time and effort to save it."
While most of the land around the center at 2454 S. Beretania St. is owned by Kamehameha Schools, the center owns the title to its parcel of 43,400 square feet. Its mortgage debt is owed to local lenders Central Pacific Bank, First Hawaiian Bank, Bank of Hawaii and City Bank. Most banks had no comment yesterday.
However, Wayne Miyao, senior vice president of City Bank, found himself speaking with two hearts, he said. Miyao was listed on a news statement from the committee to save the center as one of its media contacts, but he is also an officer of one of the lending banks.
As a banker, he had to say that "we have been more than fair, and we have been working with the board and management of the JCCH over the years.
"But as an individual and a Japanese American, my heart is with the center, too. We've raised over $5 million right now, and more is coming in every day, and if we can sit down with the lead banker (Central Pacific), maybe we can get more time," he said.
To make a donation to save the center, call Walter Tagawa at 737-4338, ext. 224, or Albert Miyasato at 595-4574.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
