Pioneering Journalist Bill Hosokawa Passes at 92
Journalist, author and diplomat Bill Hosokawa died on Nov. 9, in Sequim, Washington, where he had been living with his daughter, Christie Harveson. He was 92 years old.
Susan Boatright, Hosokawa's other daughter, said he died peacefully with family members around him. There will be a private family service, she said, but no pubic event has been planned yet.
"Bill Hosokawa reflects all that is positive in our Nisei heritage," said Floyd Mori, national director of JACL. "Bill was a crusader for that which was good and he was committed to the betterment of the Japanese American community. While we have lost a great individual, we are fortunate that his legacy will be with us for generations to come."
That legacy lives on both in Denver, Colorado, where he lived for decades, and on the national scene, through Hosokawa's far-reaching and popular books and commentaries.
His "Out of the Frying Pan" column, which ran in the Pacific Citizen for more than half a century, was first published in 1942. He authored "Nisei, The Quiet Americans," the first comprehensive historical book about the JA experience. He also published "JACL, In Quest of Justice," and with Mike Masaoka, "They Call Me Moses Masaoka." His latest book is a history of JAs in Colorado.
He was also a citizen diplomat, serving as Honorary Consul General for Japan for almost 30 years, and was honored by the Emperor of Japan for his work bridging the cultural gap between the U.S. and Japan.
First and foremost, Bill will be remembered as a journalist despite early efforts to silence him. As he explained in "Out of the Frying Pan," a half-autobiography, half-compilation of columns from the P.C., he was advised at the University of Washington to change his major from journalism.
"I don't think there's a newspaper publisher in the country who would hire a Japanese boy," he was told. "You'll never find a job. It's not fair, but that's the reality."
He found a job - editing a newspaper in Singapore. But he returned to the U.S. as war loomed in Asia, just in time to be interned from Seattle to Heart Mountain, Wyoming. He maintained his journalism career as editor of the Heart Mountain Herald, and was able to leave camp with his family for a job as a copy editor for the Des Moines Register. After the war, he settled in Colorado to work for the Denver Post in 1946. He eventually became the editorial page editor of the Post.
Even after leaving the daily news grind, he maintained a weekly column in Denver's Japanese community newspaper, the Rocky Jiho, as well as contributing to the P.C. and the Rafu Shimpo.
He was a founding member of the Japan America Society of Colorado and was appointed Japan's Honorary Consul General in Colorado in 1974.
"Bill was a giant in our community not only for his writings, but also for his community involvement," said Larry Oda, JACL national president. "Bill was an exceptional person who will be sorely missed and our hearts go out to his family."
Editor's Note: At its Nov. 10 national board meeting, the board passed a resolution in honor of Bill Hosokawa. The resolution, which passed unanimously, reads: "The National Board of the Japanese American Citizens League on behalf of the membership expresses its great sorrow at the passing of Bill Hosokawa on November 9, 2007. The JACL sends its heartfelt condolences to the Hosokawa family at this sad time and will miss Bill Hosokawa very much."
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