Derogatory Racial Term Denounced

Elected officials and Asian-American community leaders, including U.S. Sen Mazie Hirono, are denouncing a Republican congressman’s use of a derogatory term to describe Japanese individuals.

According to an MSNBC report, Rep. Peter King (R-NY) used the word “Japs” when discussing Donald Trump’s views on national security issues.

The derogatory term was used during World War II to describe Japanese and Japanese-Americans “and is still seen by many as disparaging,” the report said.

Hirono, the Democrat of Hawaii, described King’s words as unacceptable:

“Representative King became yet another voice adding to the hateful rhetoric used to describe Japanese Americans and other minorities. In the past few months, we have seen major national leaders propose banning Muslims, building walls, and even invoking the Japanese American internment, one of our nation’s most shameful actions, as a reason to keep families fleeing war from seeking refuge in the United States. These statements betray the values our nation was built on.”

Hirono, a Japanese-American born in Japan, is the first Asian-American woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate.