Miscellany

Japanese officials went to great lengths to deny a charge by an American Samoan from Hawaii that racism was blocking him from sumo wrestling’s highest ranking.

Koichi Kato, the government’s chief spokesman, insisted that sumo promotions were based entirely on ability.

“I hope officials concerned will see to it that the American people understand,” Kato said. Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa was quoted by Japanese media as saying he didn’t believe there was discrimination in the sumo world.

The racism charge was raised by Salevaa Atisanoe, who reached sumo’s second-highest rank of “ozeki,” or champion, wrestling under the name of Konishiki. He said he would have risen to “yokozuna,” or grand champion, if he were Japanese.

The Japan Broadcasting Corp. reported that the 577-pound wrestler denied at a Sumo Assn. meeting that he had make the allegations.