<Begin Segment 24>

MN: Now, when you returned to the United States you did a lot of different jobs. I wanted to ask you about this one job you did in the 1990s with the Japan Expo organization. How did you get involved with them and what did you do for them?

JM: When I came back I didn't have a job, and my friend, (the attorney) Bill Sudo, he was taking care of this Chinese group, did the movies for Chinese television, and he knew this, insurance guy (...). Had a little office, so he put me in there. I thought, what am I going to do? I don't know anything about insurance. I don't want to get involved with insurance (work). Says, "Just use the room and do whatever you want." Then he needed some insurance, so I was kind of soliciting for him in J-town went to the radio station, (met) the owner. And he said, "You know, we just produced the Japan Expo last year," and I remembered the Japan Expo. It was very successful. He said, "We need some help," so I got involved with them.

MN: Now, through the Japan Expo, you also became friends with a Japanese movie star, Sonny Chiba.

JM: Yes.

MN: Also known as Chiba Shinichi. Now, what is your relationship with him?

JM: I was a real estate broker, and he needed a condo, so I looked around Wilshire Boulevard, by Westwood, high rise, nice condo. So he ended up buying the condo, and every time he comes (into L.A.), he calls me up, he wants me to take him every place. And that's how I got involved with him. And every place I go it's all first class, restaurants, all the best places. In fact, we went to Canada, he had a house in one of the cities in Canada, so went to see the broker, told him we want to sell it. So he says they don't work with outside brokers. There was a Japanese guy that arranged it before, so we got him to sell the condo. And he was all for himself, and he got Chiba to buy a golf club (...) so when he comes he can play with it. [Laughs] He never went back, so now he's got a beautiful set of golf club plus the commission of the house that sold.

MN: So would you call yourself a personal manager for Chiba Shinichi?

JM: Personal, not business. So I just, I still work once a week for him, but he's in Japan most of the time.

MN: I have a little bit of loose ends I forgot to ask you. I wanted to ask about your mother. She was born in Hawaii, so she would be considered an American citizen, although it was still a territory of the United States. What happened to her citizenship when she married your father?

JM: She lost it.

MN: So she became a, essentially, Issei.

JM: Issei, yes. Then she took the exam later on, passed it, and got her citizenship back.

MN: How did she get notified that she lost her U.S. citizenship, through a letter?

JM: I guess so. At that time I guess it was, when you got married you lose your citizenship. She was living in Japan (then).

MN: Yes, I think if a woman married, if an American woman married a non American she lost her citizenship. I think that was the law. I wanted to ask you about also how you met your wife, Betsy.

JM: At a dance. They were always going to a dance with this group, and I knew that the guy, one of the guys. He was a karate student, Chinese guy, so I asked him, hey, are you going around with her? No, they're just in a group. So I called the school board where she was teaching, and they told me she left for home. "Oh," I said, "Can I have her home number?" And they gave me the phone number. [Laughs] So I called. It was her sister's place, said, "Oh, she moved up to a friend, who lived in West, West L.A." So that's how.

MN: You had to work to get to Betsy. Now, thinking back on this community that you grew up, called Terminal Island, how would you describe it now, in retrospect?

JM: The friendship or Terminal Island per se, or what?

MN: Just everything in general, how do you feel about Terminal Island?

JM: The Terminal Islanders are close. They're really close knit. We're always trying to help each other, and I feel good about Terminal Islanders.

MN: Were you able to find another group like that as you grew older?

JM: Not really. I worked with Japan Expo about seven years, but, I mean, I became friends and stuff like that, but my Japanese is so-so and their English is so-so. I used to work for this company, Success Motivation Institute from Waco, Texas, and they were one of the biggest companies in the United States. Their training is terrific. They trained me, but I'm not a public speaker. You have to be a public speaker to be really successful at it. But I worked with individuals and small groups, biggest (group I worked with) was Department of Water and Power. The Executive Vice President was running the Water & Power, so I got involved with him, they used to have meeting once a month with all the managers, so I'd work with them. Then I got tied up with another big project.

MN: Okay. I've answered all my questions. I mean, I've asked all my questions. [Laughs] Anything else you want to add?

JM: What are you gonna do with all this?

MN: This will go on the internet after we get your approval.

<End Segment 24> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.