Warning to Oahu-bound smokers

The Honolulu City Council passed a law, effective July 1, that prohibits smoking in all Honolulu restaurants and bars associated with restaurants. When it was pointed out to the City Council that this could have an adverse impact on the number of Japanese tourists coming to Honolulu, the Council said Japanese were very obedient and would gladly do as directed and go outside the restaurant to smoke.

When the Council was told that smokers look on dining as a social occasion and like to enjoy their meals with cocktails and a cigarette, the Council said Japanese tourists can go without smoking while eating. When told that Japanese tourists might go to other vacation destinations, the Council replied that they did not think that was likely. The neighboring islands of Maui, Kauai, and Hawaii still welcome Japanese tourists who smoke. Smoking is allowed in their restaurants. So Japanese may want to go there, instead of Oahu.

I have been to Japan three times. I lived there for 1 1/2 years in 1953-1954, stationed with the U.S. Air Force at Kisarazu Air Base. In my travels I visited Nikko, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Kobe, Tateyama, Yokohama and Chiba. Of course, I frequently visited Tokyo on weekends. I have always been impressed with the hospitality and graciousness shown me. I apologize that we can no longer do that in Honolulu.

BOB SPECK
Honolulu

Friends' spouses are kept hidden

Regarding Tetsuya Okamoto's June 12 letter, "The need to say 'I love you,' " in which he told of exchanging views with an American woman at a party about relationships and marriage, I would like to add that it would appear to me that marriage in Japan is more akin to a business deal than to a contract signed in the light of love. In the 10 years that I have lived in Japan, I have rarely met the respective spouse of a friend. On the contrary, married people in Japan seem to leave very separate lives. It's a cultural difference.

Yet, while Japanese wives and husbands are probably quite content to live within a relationship where the verbalization of the love that exists between them remains mute and where birthdays come and go without a nod of celebration, this way of approaching marriage in countries like Britain or the United States would most likely lead to divorce.

I would not wish to marry somebody who would, to all intents and purposes, remain hidden from my friends. (I wonder if Okamoto's wife attended the party in question.) Rather, I would wish to marry somebody with whom I can share friends and with whom I can share my love openly, with pride and confidence. The ghost marriages that exist within Japan still leave me puzzling over the different take on marriage and love that seems to be omnipresent amid my Japanese friends and their marriages. Yes, one must respect cultural differences, but I wonder if, beneath this veneer of self-control, there actually exists a whole army of individuals who are bursting at the seams to say, "I love you and that is why I married you"!

MARIA HAYREH
Okazaki, Aichi

Don't ignore assault victims

On Sunday, June 16, I was assaulted by a homeless man just past the ticket gates of my local station. I was struck once in the stomach with a wooden stick, sending me to the ground. The Sagamihara police officer who took my statement at the station and the translator from Zama who assisted him deserve my thanks. They were kind, thorough and patient.

After three years in Japan, this was the first time anything even remotely disturbing has happened to me. However, I would like to make a plea to anyone who witnesses any kind of violent act: If at possible, offer help to the victim. Any help. There were many people who witnessed this assault, but only one woman asked if I was all right, and no one attempted to contact the police. I worry that if I had not tried to contact security, nothing would have been done.

Luckily I was not seriously injured, but I fear that, even if I were, people would have turned the other way. Don't turn the other way. Don't look away. Do what you can. Whether it's a foreigner or Japanese in need, a few kind words go a long way.

SCOTT SPENCER
Sagamihara, Kanagawa

Fusion research responds to a need

The June 10 editorial, "Scientific analysis should come first," stresses the need for public understanding of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, or ITER, project, which the government has proposed to host in Rokkasho, Aomori Prefecture. Unfortunately, the discussion of the ITER project (incorrectly referred to as INTER in the editorial) merely contributes to further misunderstanding.

The editorial mentions problems with the nuclear-fission facilities in Rokkasho, conveying the misconception that nuclear fusion is related to nuclear fission. Although nuclear fission and nuclear fusion may sound similar, their technological, environmental and safety characteristics are not.

Fusion energy is being developed in response to the rising global demand for energy, the depletion of combustible-fuel resources, the environmental effects of burning fossil fuels, and global warming. These issues should be tackled as soon as possible. Solar energy is unlikely to provide a significant contribution to global energy supplies, and carries a huge environmental cost associated with solar-cell production.

It is further stated that the idea of Rokkasho's becoming a future energy center is premature, since a commercial application of fusion is said to be 50 to 100 years away. The time needed to develop nuclear fusion depends strongly on the financial resources available for research. It took less than a decade to put a man on the moon because such resources were available. It is no coincidence that France, Spain and Canada are lining up to host the ITER project. True, the United States has stepped out; the current U.S. president favors Arctic drilling for oil over a long-term solution such as fusion.

MICHIEL de HOON
Tokyo