[Grammar] Oshima says he would even jokingly ask Jobs to name one of Apple's products 'Hiro.'

[kadioguy]

Steve Jobs in Kyoto

Steve Jobs was the public face of some of the biggest tech innovations of the 21st century. But privately, he was known for his passion for Japanese culture. He was particularly fond of Kyoto and over the course of 25 years, he got to know the ancient Japanese capital well.

When it came to Kyoto, Oshima Hiroshi was Steve Jobs' man. Oshima worked as a chauffeur and a tour guide for Jobs on four trips, the last in 2010, just one year before the Apple founder's death. Jobs would arrive with a vague idea of what he wanted to see but left the specifics to Oshima.

Over the years, the two grew close and Jobs gave Oshima his home address and phone number, urging him to call if he ever had the chance to visit the US. Oshima says he would even jokingly ask Jobs to name one of Apple's products 'Hiro.'

Oshima says one of Jobs' favorite destinations was Ryoanji, a 500-year-old Zen temple known for its rock garden. Oshima took Jobs there three times.'

[...]

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/...FcTlFhNtWq7r0Yy9NL5gU_UzHgsFwNaK1Y_cF9apWpeO4
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The context is set in the past, so why is "say" in the present simple rather than in the past simple?

Is the following the answer? (But how about "said" in the original?)

(From Practical English Usage 3rd)

466.5

The simple present is used with a perfect or past meaning in introductory expressions like I hear, I see, I gather, I understand.

I hear you're getting married. (= I have heard ... )

I see there's been trouble down at the factory.

I gather Peter's looking for a job.


​

Quotations are often introduced with says.

No doubt you all remember what Hamlet says about suicide.

It says in the paper that petrol's going up again.
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[GoesStation]

Whenever you ask Oshima, his answer is the same. He always says the same thing.

 

[kadioguy]

Whenever you ask Oshima, his answer is the same. He always says the same thing.

How about "said" in the original? Is it also okay?

 

[5jj]

He always says the same thing.

I think it's more like this:

[FONT=&quot]The fact that the speaker has chosen not to distance the situation (which speaker and listener know from the context is distanced in time) makes the situation real, vivid. In historic narrative and magazine articles the speaker/writer similarly chooses not to distance the situation. It is presented as something real and vivid, brought closer to us by the lack of distancing:[/FONT]
The Chancellor smiles almost ruefully as I pose the question. “Policies are more important than people," he begins, but we both know that voters disagree[FONT=&quot].
[/FONT]
https://www.usingenglish.com/teachers/articles/english-tenses-aspect-3-marked-tense.html

 

[GoesStation]

I think in this case, the writer uses the present simple because they've talked to Oshima recently. The article makes it pretty clear it's based on a recent interview.