European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 24, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                American shaking sumo s foundation by David e. Sanger new York times for years now Japan a tradition bound sports world has neatly sidestepped the question of How to handle the country s most famous american import a 576-Pound Behemoth More fearsome than a pack of angry Trade negotiators considerably More competitive than general motors and More popular among Young japanese than jazz bars and delivery pizza. The american invader is Salevasa Atisone of Hawaii but to millions of japanese sumo wresting fans some More adoring than others he is known simply As Kon Ishiki. Sunday with a hard shove he toppled his opponent and took the coveted emperor s cup for the third time. And with that Victory which he acknowledged with tears in his eyes he has forced the centuries old world of sumo to face a vexing question is Japan ready to admit a foreigner to the sports most exalted Heights the rank of Yoko Una or grand Champion at a time when Japan is desperately trying to shake its image As a closed Market the country now faces a test of openness in an unexpected Arena. Never before in the 300-year modern history of sumo has the Issue of a foreign grand Champion come up. But in recent weeks As speculation mounted that the heaviest wrestler in sumo s history could Triumph in the 15-Day tournament the uncomfortable question has rumbled through the country s sports pages its intellectual journals and the National psyche. So for a moment forget about the Fate of Detroit and Rice imports and whether american workers Are Lazy and illiterate. In Tokyo s sushi bars and taxicabs to Nishiki a qualifications for the rank of grand Champion Are virtually the sole topic of conversation. Sumo strategies Are Complex but the rules Are simple. The first wrestler to fall or to be forced to step out of the ring is the loser. In the past 300 years Only about 60 sumo wrestlers have become Yoko Una each of unquestioned japanese heritage. The rank is considered so High in japanese culture that in Many ways it transcends the sport itself. Nothing has brought out the nationalistic instincts of Japan s old guard More vividly than the sight of a sweating Kon Ishiki propelling his opponents out of the Dohmyo the hard Clay ring where giant Rolls of flesh collide and National heroes Are made. Quot i cannot agree with the arguments of those who would allow foreigners to become Yoko Una in the name of internationalizing Japan Quot Noboru Kojima a member of the committee that will decide to Nishiki a Fate. Thundered this month in bungee Chunju one of Japan s most respected  action line underpaid soldiers receiving Back cola a i am currently assigned to the 193rd my co in Nurnberg Germany. Our unit is somewhat unique with soldiers attached to various communities throughout Bavaria recently a Gross error was found with the cola costal living allowance rate received by single soldiers who wed drawing separate rations and receiving Barracks col a 1 Hose soldiers have since been paid huge Back payments with some totalling Over $3,000. It took approximately 10 months to convince the Chain of command of this error because they were submitting paperwork for change of area cola i Erfurth to Grafe Wohr my question is this what about All the soldiers who have been transferred or discharged Arentt they also entitled to Back payments is there any Way the army can Contact these soldiers in this unit this has been going on for Over five years. Do Ether units have this problem please distinguish Between the two different cola rates not area rates. I Kon Ishiki with one of his Many trophies. To become a Yoko Una Kojima insisted a wrestler needs not Only strength but a Noble japanese spirit an Aura of dignity known As Hin Kaku. Kojima is hardly alone. While Kon Ishiki is beloved by Many fans for a manner As mild As his matter is massive Over the years he has been the subject of scores of death threats. That the 28-year-old Kon Ishiki whose name is pronounced Konish key and roughly Means Quot Small brocade Quot should become the Center of such controversy is itself a bit Odd. For of All of the foreigners playing sports in Japan a there Are two for example on every major league baseball team a he has blended in the Best. Kon Ishiki who was born in american Samoa and played football while growing up in Hawaii now seems quite japanese. He has been competing in Japan for about a decade and Speaks the language with near fluency. Would hate to see other soldiers lose Money. Sgt. Ann m. Baluch Grafen Wuhr Germany a sgt. 1 at class Michael Donohue office of the Deputy chief of staff resource management Headquarters Usa eur and 7th army replies there Are three cola rates with dependents without dependents and Barracks within each of the cola support designations full support partial support and no support cola with dependents is paid As the name implies to soldiers accompanied by command sponsored dependents. Barracks cola is paid to soldiers who reside in the Barracks and do not receive separate rations. It is 47 percent of the without dependent rate the allowance you now receive is without dependent cola. It is paid to single or unaccompanied soldiers who reside in private rental housing or in the Barracks but receive separate rations due to the impracticality of using the dining facility. It equals 80 percent of the with dependent rate. Your finance officer reports that when the error was discovered All units were advised to review leave and earnings statements. In those cases where Barracks cola was incorrectly being paid with separate rations corrections were input to convert the payments to and a month ago he married his japanese sweetheart Sumika a Model a fifth his weight and a bit thinner than either of his legs. Kon Ishiki is reportedly seeking japanese citizenship no easy task in a country that welcomes immigrants with the same enthusiasm that it greets foreigners meddling in the National sport. A he has an enormous following in Japan particularly among the Young who May have More interest in the sport than in the ritual. There is a Kon Ishiki fan club and every detail of his life a from the state of his bad knee to his healthy appetite a is reported in painstaking detail. Certainly he is eating Well when he won his first emperor s cup Victory in november 1989, he was a Lithe 490 pounds. Kon Ishiki is credited with helping fuel the huge resurgence of popularity that sumo has enjoyed in recent years making it virtually impossible to obtain a or afford a tickets to a match. But while Japan loves a Winner there is a sense that Kon Ishiki and other foreigners flocking into sumo these Days May be carrying things a bit far. Proponents of Kon Ishiki s Rise and there Are Many say that the sumo world has no Choice having let the first foreigner into the sumo Quot stables More than two decades ago Japan has no Choice but to Reward them for excellence. But the powerful sumo association like the Imperial household Agency which runs the lives of Japan s Royal family is a Law unto itself. When it comes to promoting Yoko Una the rules Are vague and the deliberations secret precisely the problems that american negotiators Nave complained about whenever a major decision disappears into the Black Hole of japanese consensus building. Wrestlers Are often required to win two emperors cups consecutively or Post a similarly impressive record. Kon Ishiki s victories were not consecutive and he has something of a reputation for losing his will Power when the Odds Are great. He came very close to winning a major tournament last year but lost in the crucial playoff on the final Day. But he did not lose sunday when Kir Ishima a formidable opponent stepped into the ring and eyed his huge opponent with an equal mix of contempt and fear. Kon Ishiki made Quick work of him grabbing his Belt and pushing him Over on his Side. Soon Kon Ishiki was handed the huge Silver emperor s cup and greeted by a Stream of messages including one from prime minister Kiichi Miyazawa. Asked about his chances of becoming a Yoko Una Kon Ishiki on sunday wisely decided to stay out of the latest japanese american debate. Quot after it happens ill think about it Quot he said. Without dependent cola. Jumps joint uniform military pay system computers cannot identify soldiers who were previously assigned to your unit. However i understand you your Punco pay services non commissioned officer and finance officer Are attempting to identify soldiers who May have been underpaid. After identification their new finance officers will be advised of the error. Soldiers who Are no longer in the army will be notified in writing to submit paperwork to the defense finance and accounting service a Indianapolis  write us readers action line is the readers Quot court of last resort Quot striving to answer some of the questions about life overseas in a military environment or questions about policies and guidelines when other avenues for answers Are not readily available. If you have a question and Don t know where to turn for the answer write to readers action line co the stars and stripes unit 29480, Apo a 09211. All letters must be signed and preference will be Given to those seeking information of general interest to our readers Page 16 a the stars and stripes tuesday March 24, 1992