The Northwest Times

By JOHN KITASAKO

BUDD FUKUI ... is Out of town. That's news, because it marks the first time in ages that the editor-publisher is taking a breather from his typewriter and linotype.

He'll be gone for some time, which explains why we have temporarily taken over his column. Budd is down in San Francisco on an unusual assignment - he's going to cover the Japanese peace treaty discussions for the press in Japan, as well as act as liaison between Japanese correspondents and the American wire services.

And if he finds time, he's going to try to feed his own paper a few stories direct from the conference chambers in the Bay City. At any rate, readers of this paper can expect to read of Budd's impressions after he returns.

This is a wonderful break for Budd. Not many Nisei will have the chance to sit in on the peace parley, and very few will be able to attend as accredited correspondents. And it'll do Budd a world of good to get out of Seattle for a spell. Main Street can get pretty stifling if you don't get away once in a while.

Delayed for five years by differences among the big powers, the peace conference will finally get under way in an atmosphere of unexpected optimism on the part of the Western countries. The small body of men who will sit around the peace table will shape the destiny of 80 million Japanese. But more significant is the fact that the pact that will be drafted and approved at the historic parley will have a tremendous bearing on the peace and security of the world for generations to come. The opportunity to witness such a momentous event verily comes once in a lifetime...