March 4, 2010 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E303 you, this country can’t possibly move through the country with its wide assortment of deli- mango, red bean (azuki), strawberry, and va- the next 10 years in a period of relative cious and original bakery items. nilla. strength.’’ Mikawaya manufactures and sells traditional Mikawaya’s traditional Japanese confections Since that speech, more than 200,000 Japanese pastry and confectionary (wagashi), and pastries are still available and made daily Americans have spent 2 years of their lives in , and gelato. In addition to its at its factory and are still a favor- parts of the world that many of us have never traditional ‘‘mochi-gashi’’ and ‘‘manju’’ that ite in the Asian American community. heard of. And right now, dozens of Peace have been the foundation of the family busi- Corp volunteers from the Seattle area alone ness, Mikawaya has obtained nationwide pop- Always innovators, Mikawaya now manufac- are serving in countries as far as Mali, ularity and success as the creator of Mochi Ice tures and sells gelato—Italian-style ice cream Turkmenistan and Cambodia. Participants Cream along with its gelato offerings. made from milk, sugar, real fruit and other in- have worked on everything from helping farm- Madam Speaker, as Mikawaya celebrates gredients. ers produce more food to stave off hunger to its 100-year anniversary at the Kyoto Grand Along with Mikawaya’s centennial anniver- teaching computer skills and helping govern- Hotel on March 8, I ask my colleagues to sary, the company opened a new 100,000- ments bolster their technology infrastructure. please join me in congratulating the entire square-foot facility in Vernon, . This While I’ve heard from many Peace Corp vol- Hashimoto family and their dedicated employ- facility is designed to meet the increasing de- unteers that their years of service are far from ees for bringing smiles to the faces of genera- mand for Mikawaya’s products and will be the easy, they also tell me about the tremendous tions of customers who have enjoyed the headquarters for new product research and impact those years have on their education unique and delicious Japanese-inspired ice development of frozen desserts. All of and how their time abroad helps build their cream and pastries that this one-of-a-kind bak- Mikawaya’s desserts are manufactured in character and self-esteem. ery has to offer. Southern California and are still held to But the program does far more than just I extend to them my best wishes for many Mikawaya’s standards of high quality and provide services to communities in other coun- more innovative, productive and profitable taste. tries and enrich the lives of its volunteers. It years ahead. The bakery presently operates retail stores helps participants come back with a far better To fully capture the remarkable story of the in Japanese Village Plaza, Little Tokyo understanding of other cultures. I have long Hashimoto family and the 100 year history of Square, Pacific Square Shopping Center in believed that America’s ability to operate in their bakery, I would also like to submit the fol- Torrance, Mitsuwa Marketplace in Gardena the world depends on how well we understand lowing historical overview: and Shirokiya Department Store in Honolulu, what’s going on in other nations. President ‘‘Just after the turn of the 20th century, two Hawaii.’’ Kennedy understood that our nation’s strength Japanese entrepreneurs decided to open a manju bakery. One of them was from Mikawa, depended on our level of engagement in the f global community, and the Peace Corp each an old Japan province in the area that today year provides thousands of emissaries to forms the eastern half of Aichi Prefecture. The FIRST-TIME HOMEBUYER TAX places that the U.S. might not otherwise ‘‘ya,’’ or store in Japanese, was added to the CREDIT ELIGIBILITY VERIFICA- touch. In many ways, the Peace Corp is like end of the name to create the name TION ACT community-based diplomacy. ‘‘Mikawaya.’’ And when participants return, many con- In 1910 Ryuzaburo Hashimoto purchased tinue their service. Some, like my colleagues the company, which was located at 365 East HON. SAM JOHNSON Senator CHRIS DODD, and Representatives First Street in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo dis- OF TEXAS HONDA, GARAMENDI, FARR, DRIEHAUS and trict. His nephew, Koroku Hashimoto and his PETRI, go on to serve in Congress. Other wife Haru, took over the operations 15 years IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES later and reopened at the newly built Olympic alums go on to serve in Foreign Service, in- Thursday, March 4, 2010 cluding stints in USAID, the Organization of Hotel on North San Pedro Street, also in Little American States and the Department of State. Tokyo. Five years later, they moved the com- Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Others serve in the non-profit sector in organi- pany back to First Street where they remained Speaker, I rise today to introduce the First- zations like the Sierra Club and Catholic Relief until 1942, when the U.S. entered World War Time Homebuyer Tax Credit Eligibility Services. And many others join the National II. Verification Act. From 1942 to December 1945, Mikawaya Peace Corp Association, an organization of The purpose of this bill is simple: to prevent some 30,000 former Peace Corp participants closed its doors as Executive Order 9066 forced more than 110,000 Japanese Ameri- those who are here illegally from claiming the that helps keep them engaged in service and refundable first-time homebuyer tax credit, advocacy. cans, including the Hashimoto family, into U.S. internment camps for the duration of the war. which is worth up to $8,000. According to a The Peace Corp has done enormous good January 25, 2010 Dallas Morning News article around the world, so let us recognize the thou- On December 23, 1945, the Hashimoto family proudly reopened Mikawaya at 244 East First by Steve McGonigle entitled ‘‘Feds find dubi- sands of Americans who sacrificed and ous home tax credit claims from Texas,’’ close served. Let us reaffirm this week as National Street, next door to their pre-war location. In 1970 Frances Hashimoto, their youngest to 1,000 claims from Texas have come from Peace Corp Week. individuals ‘‘employing a special taxpayer f daughter, took over the family business. Hav- ing the foresight that the surrounding First identification number primarily used by illegal A TRIBUTE TO MIKAWAYA ON THE Street area would become prime redevelop- immigrants, who are not entitled to the credit.’’ OCCASION OF THE BAKERY’S 100 ment property, she planned and built a new This is just plain wrong. YEAR ANNIVERSARY bakery on 4th Street, which was completed in Currently, the IRS does not require an indi- 1974. vidual to provide a Social Security number in HON. LUCILLE ROYBAL-ALLARD With the new location on 4th Street, order to claim the first-time homebuyer tax OF CALIFORNIA Mikawaya was able to expand its operations credit. Rather, if the individual does not have IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES and product offerings. Hashimoto’s husband a Social Security number, the individual can and Mikawaya’s Chief Financial Officer, Joel still apply for the credit so long as they are Thursday, March 4, 2010 Friedman, happened on an idea when he vis- able to get an Individual Taxpayer Identifica- Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Speaker, I ited Japan in 1984. In 1994, after spending 10 tion Number (ITIN) from the IRS. The problem rise today to recognize Mikawaya on the occa- years of research and testing, his brainchild— here is that illegal immigrants are getting sion of its 100 year anniversary. This historic mochi ice cream—became a reality. these numbers from the IRS. According to the Los Angeles-based family-owned bakery has Mochi ice cream, which is a serving of ice previously mentioned article, ‘‘the IRS has ac- been a fixture in Little Tokyo in the heart of cream surrounded by a thin layer of mochi knowledged that more than half of ITINs are my congressional district since its founding in (pounded sweet rice), has become a recog- filed by illegal immigrants.’’ In an effort to pre- 1910. nized addition to American pop culture like vent illegal immigrants from claiming the cred- Under the current dedicated leadership of sushi and sake. Today, it is Mikawaya’s signa- it, my bill proposes that a taxpayer must pro- Frances Hashimoto—the grand niece of the ture product with mass appeal that has vide a Social Security number rather than an bakery’s original founder—this successful en- reached beyond Asian American tastes. Cur- ITIN. Doing so will help to prevent fraud and terprise continues to satisfy the sweet-tooths rently there are seven flavors of mochi ice in turn protect the American taxpayer. I urge of Angelenos and dessert lovers throughout cream, including: chocolate, coffee, green tea, my colleagues to support this bill.

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