Issei first papers accepted, and the fight against Proposition 15

Vol. 23, No. 6, August 10, 1946. 8 pages. View this issue

Citizenship and discrimination ran through the August 10, 1946 issue. The Immigration and Naturalization Service said it would accept applications for first papers from Issei, and JACL national secretary Mike Masaoka urged Issei to use the policy. California and Placer County filed a brief in an Alien Land law case, and a statewide committee was forming to oppose Proposition 15. The editorial “Again the Racists” took on the measure. Larry Tajiri wrote about the evacuee claims bill that died in the House when Rep. Clair Engle objected, and T. W. Tanaka wrote about the effects of the evacuation.

Other pages include Mary Kitano’s account of a return visit to Manzanar, Bill Hosokawa on housing in Denver, and Elmer R. Smith on Japanese Canadians in British Columbia. A story on Ben Kuroki’s wedding, a new hibiscus named for the 100th Battalion, and news of the reactivated Los Angeles JACL chapter fill out this eight-page issue.

What’s in this issue

National

• Naturalization Applications Accepted from Issei, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Immigration and Naturalization Service will accept applications for first papers from Issei residents, showing their intent to become citizens even though they remain ineligible for naturalization. JACL national secretary Mike Masaoka urged Issei to take advantage of the policy and asked that any refusals be reported.
• State Brief Filed in Alien Land Act Case, by P.C. Staff, page 1. California and Placer County filed a brief disputing the defense claim that the statute of limitations bars escheat proceedings against Kiyoshi and Kiyoimo Kondo under the Alien Land law. The state alleges the land purchase was a subterfuge and fraud, and additional suits against Japanese ancestry residents are pending.
• Bill to Permit Entry of GI’s Wife Planned, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A private bill will be introduced to allow the Japanese Canadian wife of Lt. Makoto Kimura into the United States, as she is barred as an ineligible alien. JACL national secretary Mike Masaoka is studying a recent Seattle court ruling that might apply to her case.
• California Judge Restrains State Body from Restricting Rights of Issei Fishermen, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Superior Judge Henry M. Willis issued a temporary order restraining the California Fish and Game Commission from discriminating against Japanese alien fishermen. A test case was filed on behalf of about 250 Issei fishermen barred from commercial licenses by a wartime code amendment.
• Issei Believed To Be Suicide Victim in Bay, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Police and friends concluded that Heijiro Fujii, 68, of San Francisco likely committed suicide after he wrote a friend announcing plans to jump off a pier. A hat belonging to him was found on the Aquatic Park pier, but the body has not been recovered.
• Congress Gives Citizenship to Japanese Alien, by P.C. Staff, page 1. President Truman signed a private bill granting American citizenship to Edith De Becker Sebald, a Japan-born woman previously barred due to her Japanese ancestry. She is the wife of a State Department official stationed in Tokyo.
• Postpone Hearings For Alien Japanese Facing Deportation, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Hearings in test deportation cases in federal court were postponed until September, according to the ACLU. Pending Supreme Court decisions, the Justice Department agreed no hardship or treaty trader cases would be deported to Japan.
• Minority Rule Prevails As Claims Bill Defeated, by John Kitasako, page 2. A single congressman’s opposition, Rep. Clair Engle’s, blocked the evacuee claims bill under House rules requiring unanimous consent. The column describes JACL representative Mike Masaoka’s frustrated efforts to lobby Congress before adjournment.

Community

• Investigate Alleged Discrimination in New York Housing, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A housing subcommittee of the New York Committee for Japanese Americans is investigating reported housing discrimination against evacuees resettled in New York City. The subcommittee, chaired by Robertson Fort, canvasses neighborhoods and meets biweekly to review vacancies and discrimination reports.
• Caldwell Labor Camp Resident Commits Suicide, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Denzo Kawato, 60, a resident of the Caldwell farm labor camp, took his own life on Aug. 1 after being despondent for some time. He had previously lived at the Minidoka relocation center.
• Texas Nisei Invited To Attend Retreat At San Marcos, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A retreat for Nisei residents of Texas and the Southwest will be held in San Marcos from Aug. 15 to 18. Rev. C.S. McKinney announced that the San Marcos Academy is offering its campus and dormitories for the event.
• Veterans Will Get Farms at Minidoka, by P.C. Staff, page 2. World War II veterans will receive preference when 49 new farm units open for homesteading on the Minidoka project in Idaho. The land is the site of the former wartime relocation center.
• Chicago Year Book Will List Names of 15,000 Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A Japanese American Year Book for the Chicago area will list about 15,000 residents and present pictorial highlights of community activities. The directory is being published by the Kalifornians group.
• Nisei Doctor Attends Medical Conference, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Dr. George Nagamatsu participated in the American Urological Association convention in Cincinnati. He was recently promoted to assistant professor of surgery at Flower Medical College in New York City.
• Rev. Ogawa Named For Evacuee Work, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Rev. Seido Ogawa was appointed field secretary of the Congregational Christian churches to give general assistance to Japanese American churches in Southern California and San Diego. Special attention will be given to problems of returned evacuees.
• Los Angeles AVC Council Raps Engle’s Opposition to Evacuee Claims Legislation, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Los Angeles Area Council of the American Veterans Committee severely criticized Rep. Clair Engle for blocking the evacuee indemnification bill. The council sent letters urging Congressmen Healy, Patterson, McDonough, and Helen Gahagan Douglas to press Engle to withdraw his objections.
• JACL Chapter Reactivated in Los Angeles, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Los Angeles JACL chapter was reactivated with 100 paid members at a meeting presided over by Eiji Tanabe. Speakers stressed community contribution, and a committee was appointed to draft a new constitution.
• U.S. Marshal in Portland Seek Contraband Owners, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Federal authorities in Portland are holding unclaimed contraband items confiscated from Americans of Japanese ancestry during the war, including cameras and radios. Owners must present receipts to reclaim their property or the items will be auctioned.
• Nisei Heads New Company To Build Personal Planes, by P.C. Staff, page 3. James K. Nagamatsu leads Aero-Flight Aircraft Corp., formed by former Curtiss-Wright employees to produce an advanced two-seat personal airplane. The first prototype is nearing completion and will soon undergo test flights.
• Lack of Housing Temporarily Halts Canadian Movement, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Limited accommodations in eastern Canadian provinces have stopped the relocation of evacuees from British Columbia. Officials still plan to close the Lemon Creek camp as soon as possible.
• California Ministers Hold First Parley Since Evacuation, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Twenty-seven ministers and thirty lay delegates from twenty-four Japanese American churches met for the Southern California Church Federation convention. The convention adopted resolutions thanking Nisei servicemen and churches supporting Japanese Americans.
• 22 Thousand Evacuees Back In L.A. County, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Approximately 22,000 persons of Japanese ancestry have returned to Los Angeles County and most have found homes. About 1,000 remain in temporary hostels and 900 live at the Winona trailer camp in Burbank.
• Recreation Program Planned by Seattle Buddhist Leaders, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Seattle Buddhist church resumed worship services after serving as a Maritime Commission training center during the war. Leaders plan dances and events open to the whole neighborhood and promote Americanism.
• Nisei Youth Drowns In Swimming Pool, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Theodore Hiroshi Okajima, son of a San Jose family, drowned on July 30 while swimming in a private pool at a Saratoga home where his father was working. Funeral services were held at the San Jose Buddhist church.
• Seek Complete List of Nisei War Casualties, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Nisei Veterans Committee in Seattle is compiling a complete list of Nisei who died in the U.S. armed forces and asks the public for help. Forty-three names have been obtained so far from the Pacific Northwest.
• Japanese POW Given Freedom in Hawaii by Army, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Gima, a Japanese prisoner of war born in Hawaii, was granted his freedom after army authorities confirmed he had been taken to Japan as a child and forced into labor service on Okinawa. His mother visited him at a Hawaii camp last October.
• New Hibiscus Is Named After 100th Battalion, by P.C. Staff, page 6. John A. Johnson of Hawaii created a new hibiscus variety called the Hawaiian Hundredth Battalion Hibiscus to honor the famous Japanese American unit and his son, Major John A. Johnson, killed in action. The flower has greenish-yellow petals shading to magenta red.
• Church Publications Print Articles by Joe Grant Masaoka, by P.C. Staff, page 7. JACL regional representative Joe Grant Masaoka published articles on Japanese Americans in the church publications World Call and Social Progress. One article addressed anti-Nisei discrimination and the problems of reestablishment.
• Japanese Bride Reunited With Husband in Portland, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Mrs. Helen Bouiss, a Japanese woman held for nearly three years by immigration authorities, was reunited with her American husband in Portland. The reunion followed a Seattle federal court decision allowing her entry as a non-quota immigrant under the GI bride law.
• Twin City Buddhists Elect Cabinet, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Twin City Buddhist organization in Minneapolis elected its first cabinet at a meeting on July 14, with Frank Yanari chosen as president. The group holds bi-monthly services led by Rev. Kono of Chicago.
• Depositors Will Receive Full Claims, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Seven hundred depositors of Japanese ancestry will receive $1,442,000 as the Yokohama Specie Bank of San Francisco completes liquidation. Several smaller Japanese banks in California are also being liquidated.
• Salt Lake, Chicago Teams Enter Denver JACL Tournament, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Teams from Salt Lake City and Chicago will compete with Denver bowlers in the first Denver JACL Nisei Invitational Bowling tournament on Aug. 17 and 18. The Okada Insurance team seeks to repeat its earlier victory over the Denver Pin Topplers.
• Colorado Student Crowned Nisei Queen By College Group, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Eunice Kumagai, a student at Colorado State College, was crowned Colorado Nisei queen at a dance sponsored by the Nisei Intermountain Collegiate Conference. Four other candidates competed for the title.
• Agencies Aid Evacuee Problems in San Francisco, by Robert R. Brunn, page 8. Three San Francisco agencies have coordinated to help returned evacuees with housing, employment, and social services. The International Institute aids about 100 Nisei and Issei each month, while indigency among returnees has dropped sharply.
• Pro-Evacuee Group Opens Fight on Anti-Semitism, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Twin Cities Citizens League, a group formed during the war to combat racist propaganda against Japanese Americans, called on civic-minded residents of Yuba City and Marysville to join a fight against anti-Semitism. The organization has support from ministerial, labor, and professional groups.

Sports

• Sakamoto’s Hawaiians Sweep National Swimming Honors, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The University of Hawaii swimming club won the National AAU championships in San Diego, with Bill Smith Jr. and Keo Nakama’s protege McLane setting records. Coach Sakamoto’s team also included veterans of the 442nd.

Military & Veterans

• Ben Kuroki, Shige Tanabe Married in Pocatello Rites, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Nisei Air Forces veteran Ben Kuroki married Shige Tanabe of Pocatello in a simple ceremony at the bride’s parents’ home. The couple plans to live in New York City, where Kuroki will work with the East-West Association.
• Statewide Committee Planned To Campaign for Defeat of Alien Land Law Amendments, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A statewide committee is forming in San Francisco to campaign against Proposition 15, which would ratify tightened Alien Land law amendments. The JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee will file an argument against the measure before the Aug. 20 deadline.
• Mary Ogawa Elected Chairman of USO Junior Hostesses, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Mary Ogawa was elected chairman of the Nisei YWCA-USO Junior Hostesses in Washington, D.C. The meeting also honored outgoing volunteer Mrs. Eric Bellquist and commended the USO for its reception of the 442nd Combat Team.
• Nisei DSC Winner Attends Purple Heart Group Parley, by P.C. Staff, page 2. George Sakato, Nisei recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, attended the Military Order of the Purple Heart national convention in Portland as guest of the local JACL chapter. Sakato was seriously wounded in France and plans a career in diesel engineering.
• Wounded Nisei Will Be Guests of JACL Group, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Two Nisei delegates to the Purple Heart convention, George Sakato and Spady Koyama, will be honored at a Portland JACL dance. A testimonial dinner will also honor all Oregon veterans of Japanese ancestry.
• Nisei Veteran Wins Scholarship, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Hiroshi Furukawa, a Nisei war veteran from Pullman, Washington, was among 59 veterans awarded $2000 scholarships by the American Chemical Society. The scholarships support veterans pursuing chemistry studies.
• Nisei Serves With U.S. Constabulary, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Pfc. Ben Yamashita, brother of a Salt Lake City resident, serves with the U.S. Constabulary patrolling American zones in Germany and Austria. The constabulary uses jeeps, motorcycles, and light armored vehicles.

Incarceration & Redress

• Delay Hearings On Cases of Peru Deportees, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The ACLU reported that the Justice Department cannot continue litigating test suits for former Peruvian residents of Japanese ancestry seized by U.S. forces. Hearings were postponed while the State Department determines whether Peru will accept the internees.
• DeYoung Explains Continuation of Study on Evacuee Problems, by P.C. Staff, page 3. John DeYoung, formerly of the Minidoka relocation project, explained that the Resettlement Study will continue for one year to examine evacuee resettlement in Chicago, Seattle, Denver, and the West Coast. The study is sponsored by the Department of Interior.
• Utah’s Forgotten Man Will Be Freed from State Penitentiary, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Masato Karumai, 71, will be released from the Utah state penitentiary on Aug. 11 after more than 20 years of imprisonment. His death sentence was forgotten for 16 years before being rediscovered and commuted.
• Some Unfinished Business, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. The column reports that the evacuation claims bill passed the Senate but died in the House when Rep. Clair Engle objected under unanimous-consent rules. It examines the bill’s merits, the racism behind opposition, and other unfinished legislation affecting Japanese Americans and Issei facing deportation.

Arts & Entertainment

• Work of Nisei Veteran Artists On Exhibit, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Artwork by two Nisei veterans went on display at the Los Angeles County Museum as part of a World War II veterans show. Harry Osaki won first prize in sculpture, and Tanaka received honorable mention in illustration.

Commentary

• Again the Racists, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial argues that supporters of Proposition 15, which would ratify tightened Alien Land law amendments, rely on the same race myths that drove the original 1920 law. It cites President Truman’s rejection of the DeWitt report’s conclusions and calls on Californians to repudiate the racism behind the measure.
• Effects of Evacuation, by T. W. Tanaka, page 4. Tanaka argues that evacuation remains unfinished business because it violated principles of presumed innocence and equal treatment under law. He warns that Supreme Court decisions upholding wartime exclusion could permanently weaken American civil liberties if not reexamined.
• The Japanese Canadians: British Columbia’s Political Scapegoats, by Elmer R. Smith, page 5. Smith examines the situation of Japanese Canadians after wartime evacuation and the political campaigns against their return to British Columbia. He rebuts five common anti-Japanese arguments with statistics and reports on civil liberties groups’ efforts on their behalf.
• From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa describes the severe housing shortage and inflated prices in Denver through anecdotes of families forced to buy back their own homes. He also reflects on the aging Nisei generation and the changing social norms between Issei and Nisei.
• Mary Kitano, by Mary Kitano, page 5. Kitano describes Manzanar nine months after the last evacuee left, with weeds overtaking the camp and the cemetery graves neglected. She notes the auditorium is the only structure that appears alive.

JACL

• JACL: Postwar, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial notes the reactivation of the Los Angeles chapter and a new Washington, D.C. unit as the JACL nears its prewar size. It argues the postwar JACL is transformed, having matured during the war into an interracial, national organization prepared to fight discrimination.

Obituaries

• Mary Kitano Returns to Manzanar, by Mary Kitano, page 5. Kitano describes her visit to the former Manzanar war relocation center nine months after the last evacuee left. She portrays a decaying landscape of dry lawns, overgrown weeds, and abandoned structures.

Thank you for exploring the Pacific Citizen archive. The title, introduction and contents on this page were written by an AI model from scans of the printed issue, so they may contain mistakes. If you spot one, we would be grateful if you let us know.