Famed photojournalist here for Miura coverage

Japan’s famous photojournalist Shigeki Miyajima is on island, covering the extradition case against Kazuyoshi Miura.

Some Japanese journalists were seen posing for a picture with Miyajima when they noticed the photographer outside the office of one of Miura’s lawyers, Bruce Berline, Friday afternoon.

“Miyazima is very famous in Japan. Almost all photographers know him,” one Japanese reporter told Saipan Tribune.

Miyazima is from the Tokyo-based popular weekly current affairs magazine Shukan Bunshun of the Bungei Shunju Ltd.

Another Japanese reporter said Shukan Bunshun is Miura’s worst enemy and that he had sued the magazine a couple of times.

It was Shukan Bunshun that broke the story in January 1984 about Miura being allegedly involved in a plot to murder his wife, according to Los Angeles Police Department detective Rick in his affidavit.

Jackson said the release of the article prompted the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department to become actively involved in the investigation, along with the LAPD.

In Japan, Miyajima twice won the magazine journalism grand prize and he holds exhibits of his work about once every four years.

He first published his photograph collection when he was 30 years old. Almost every year he puts up a photograph collection exhibit.

Miyajima arrived on Saipan last Sept. 22. He expressed hope that his company would send him to California to continue the coverage of Miura.

The photojournalist said this was his first time on Saipan and that he finds it beautiful and safe. He said they forgot to lock their car near the federal court yesterday morning and when they returned, all their belongings inside were still intact.

“I prefer the Okinawa beaches, but the hospitality of the people here is better,” the gray-haired lensman said.

Miyazima started his career as a photojournalist in another weekly magazine in 1983.

Miyajima said that in 1981, the time when Miura’s wife was killed in L.A., Miura was a hero in Japan.

“He [Miura] hates our magazine,” the photographer said, because they ran a lot of stories and photographs of Miura.

Saipan Tribune noticed that Miyajima’s camera zoom lens has a list of names of many countries, including Baghdad, Lebanon, Pakistan, Phuket, Yugoslavia, Kosovo, Jakarta, and Afghanistan.

He said he went to cover major events in those countries. He has actually had gone to many other countries, but he just put the names of those where his coverage were memorable.

“When I come back to Japan, I may include Saipan [on the list],” he said, smiling.