<Begin Segment 22>

BF: Well, tell me a little bit about -- I mean, we're kind of winding up here with this one interview, about your sort of life philosophies. I mean, we've, we've touched on them today. And I hear common themes sort of running through, broad-minded, politics, involvement in politics. There's a very strong pragmatic part of you that's the business -- businessman. But how would you sort of summarize some of your life philosophies?

TM: Well, I, I think, getting back to philosophy, you've heard that Taul Watanabe says, "Business is politics, and politics is business." I don't, I agree that, that they're intertwined. And it would be naive to think otherwise. And there's a lot of, maybe my friends just don't put it together or think it's not important, but it is. And so you, your awareness and your connection with politic, political people and political system is important, but you don't want to make it all your life. I mean, it just has to be a balance of you stay in touch, and because you can't go overboard. You find people that are all politics and nothing else. But the awareness of politics is important. But I think I go back to basically what my parents' culture and Asian culture, and American culture, has taught us about -- and I, I say the strong emphasis for the Asian and Japanese culture has been the Taoism. And I don't know other than it's like respect to the elderly, parents, and things like that, I just gained through osmosis. And those are very important things. And, and I don't, I really haven't given it much thought. But you try to live for what's right. And if you do things that are right, then you don't -- do it right because you don't worry about the consequences, then you're okay. So I'm not -- I don't, I'm not that deep of a thinker. I just feel you do what's right, and you do certain things because you feel obligation, and not to bring disrespect to your family. And all those things play into it. And if you do all those things right, then at the end of the day, you're okay. And then fortunately, otherwise, then maybe you try to, I try to stay busy enough so I don't have time to think about it. So when I come home I got about three days of newspaper laying next to my bed I can't even get to. But so physically, I keep myself busy, which is maybe a excuse not to get involved in, with other things. But I just feel, just doing what you're supposed to do, do it right, and do it, and then things will fall into place, I guess.

BF: You know, I think there's a lot of people who would, who have a negative impression of politics, and they would, they would say that the notion of doing what is right, because it's right, as opposed to what it will get you or other motivations, that that's sort of, that they don't see that working with politics. But how do, how do you think of politics? Because obviously, you don't see it as all negative.

TM: Well, here again, it's a building block. If politics is kind of on top, which doesn't make sense, but if it is, try to get there first without building the blocks below, it doesn't work. But if you are active in the community or you're somewhat successful in business, the politicians will come to you. And if they respect you for what your, organizations you represent, and if you give a few dollars, they'll come to you. And then once they come to you and if you get along, like Pritchard and people like Slade Gorton, they say, "Wow, how can you be friend with Slade Gorton?" But we're friends. And when I was there with Jane Nishida for that White House event, we had about a couple hours to kill, and Jobi was there, so we wanted to see Jobi, Bea's daughter, Akira?

BF: Oh.

TM: She's a -- she's what? Twenty-six or seven. She said, "I feel burnt out now." But she was the head of staff, chief of staff, for Insley or somebody. Anyway, so we go there. I says, "Well, I'd love to go see Slade." So they call. And naturally, they, receptionist doesn't know who I am. Get a call five minutes later, says, "Slade wants to see you. Come right now because he's flying to Spokane in about half an hour." But, and everybody in the office says, "Wow." But the point is, how do you weigh something like that? Even Jane was really, wow. But that's the kind of friend. And it's not because I gave him lots of money, but you had something going. But that's important because if, like the redress, we went to Slade. I mean, that's the kind of relation that was necessary, I think, to even get your foot in the door. And I don't know what I'm trying to say, other than for some reason I've been able to retain that kind of relation with people that were in politics. And it goes back to Jackson and Magnuson and Joel Pritchard. And because, like I say, I was involved with organizations and somewhat viewed as a successful businessperson, some way they knew who I was. And that builds on each other. But that's where the risk come because somewhere you always have to make a decision because there's always going to be somewhere, sometime, two or three people that run for the same office, and you're going to have to make some decisions that. And I have a theory about that. It doesn't matter who wins, as long as that person is a credible candidate and you're viewed as backing a credible candidate. If that candidate loses, it's okay, as long as that person was credible. What you don't want to do is back publicly candidates that are not credible. So you have to take a risk, but the risk is minimal if you do it consistently and pick people for backing who you think are good people.

BF: You make, when you discuss politics, you make it sound a lot less mysterious and scary than I think a lot of Japanese Americans think of it. They're just people to you, and friends.

TM: And fortunately because of these long relations, I've gotten to know these people as people.

BF: Yeah.

TM: And I think when they feel comfortable that you're treating them as people, the friendship and bond seems to grow.

BF: It sounds like this all, it happens very, it happened very naturally, that you weren't someone who plotted a course -- [Laughs]

TM: Well --

BF: To become a mover and shaker?

TM: Well, ever since, well, who am I thinking of, the governor. Well, I've known every governor, and, before they were in office. So except for Dixie Lee Ray. Taul Watanabe introduced me to her. But even her, I think I knew her prior to her becoming a governor. So I don't know what to say other than it's much better to know these people before they become elected.

<End Segment 22> - Copyright © 1999 Densho. All Rights Reserved.