A British medal for a 442nd veteran, and the first postwar relief shipment to Japan

Vol. 23, No. 23, December 14, 1946. 8 pages. View this issue

Shigeo Morishige of Denver, a veteran of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, received the British Military Medal for gallantry in Italy, presented by the British consul at a Dec. 7 luncheon. Also on the front page, the first American relief shipment for Japan reached Yokohama, a California court granted a new trial in the murder of a wounded Nisei veteran, and the last group of voluntary repatriates prepared to leave Canada. Inside, West Coast JACL delegates approved a program and a budget of nearly $120,000, and Bob C. L. George explained how to file claims for evacuee property damaged in government storage.

The editorial page took up Louis Adamic’s Two-Way Passage idea, the roots of racism and segregated California schools, and Larry Tajiri looked at Hollywood’s treatment of Nisei. Columns by Sachi L. Wada, Joan Kitasako, Jobo Nakamura and Bill Hosokawa fill page 5. This 8-page issue also announced a 40-page holiday edition for December 21.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• Denver Nisei Given British Military Medal, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Shigeo Morishige of Denver, a veteran of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, received the British Military Medal for gallantry in Italy. The honor was presented by the British consul at a Denver luncheon on Dec. 7.
• Army Chapel Given Fresno Church to Honor Nisei GIs, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The War Assets Administration allocated a surplus Army chapel to the Congregational Church of Fresno as a memorial to Japanese American troops killed in World War II. The church’s pastor had served as chaplain with the 100th Battalion.
• Halo Hirose Named on AAU All-American Team, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Ohio State swimmer Takashi (Halo) Hirose was named to the All-America 400-yard freestyle relay team at the National AAU convention. Teammate William Smith was also honored.
• Mochizuki Leads Team to Victory in Game in Germany, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Akira Mochizuki led the Ninth Division special troops to a 20-7 victory over the 16th Infantry Regiment in a game in Germany. He scored one touchdown and passed for another.
• List 39 Nisei Among School War Dead, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Associated Students of the University of Hawaii list 39 Japanese American students and alumni among the university’s World War II dead. Most served with the 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Combat Team.
• Legion Post Honors Nisei in Palo Alto, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Eight Nisei veterans were honored at a Palo Alto American Legion meeting after a community dinner honoring 40 Japanese American veterans. Mayor J. B. Blois praised the group’s wartime record.
• Use of Nisei GIs in Army’s Occupation of Japan Follows Two-Way Passage Proposal, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Former Marine correspondent Frederick Orehek writes that Japanese American soldiers played an important role in the occupation of Japan, echoing Louis Adamic’s Two-Way Passage idea. He argues the program should be expanded.

National

• First U.S. Relief Shipment for Japan Arrives at Yokohama, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A $156,578 shipment of American relief supplies reached Yokohama on November 30 via the American Friends Service Committee and partner agencies. Japanese government agencies will distribute the goods, mainly in larger cities.
• Repatriates Group Will Leave Canada, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Nearly 300 persons are scheduled to depart in the fifth and final group of voluntary repatriates from Canada. This brings the total to approximately 4,000.
• Duration Lease Suit Won by Evacuee in California, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Judge Louis Drapeau ruled that the war was over in a suit involving a Hawaiian-born evacuee’s leased property, a decision expected to aid returning evacuees. The ruling declined to restrain the evacuee from reclaiming his property.
• Nisei GI Held on Extortion Charge in Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Japanese American corporal was arrested in Tokyo for allegedly extorting 700,000 yen from building contractors. Both GIs involved are being held for courts-martial.
• State Department Tells Steps to Facilitate Return of Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 1. J. Holbrook Chapman of the State Department outlined procedures for registering American citizen relatives stranded in Japan or China. Each case will be examined individually before arrangements for transport to the United States are made.
• Protest Filed on Bias Shown by Patrolmen, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL Northern California director Joe Grant Masaoka protested discriminatory treatment by California highway patrolmen in accident cases involving Japanese Americans. He cited two cases in which Nisei drivers were cited unfairly.

Incarceration & Redress

• California Court Grants New Trial to Youth Awaiting Death for Murder of Nisei Veteran, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The California Supreme Court granted Leroy Bob a new trial in the 1945 Stockton murder of wounded 442nd veteran George S. Yoshioka. The court found it more probable that codefendant S. J. Johnson struck the fatal blows.
• Claims May Be Entered for Evacuee Property Damaged While in Government Storage, by Bob C. L. George, page 2. Claims for evacuee property damaged in government storage may be filed through the International Institute or JACL San Francisco office within one year, up to $1,000. The article explains the four categories of evacuee property loss and required documentation.
• Legality of California School Segregation Argued in Court, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Arguments were heard before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals over the Westminster School District’s segregation of Mexican American children. The JACL signed a brief contending California’s code authorizing segregation of Japanese and Chinese children violates the U.S. Constitution.
• Title Companies Refuse to Issue Policies to Nisei as Result of Oyama Decision, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Following the California Supreme Court’s Oyama decision upholding the Alien Land Law, many title companies have refused policies on Japanese American-owned property. Owners are being advised to seek declaratory relief to avoid escheat proceedings.
• U.S. District Court Denies Appeal by 100 Japanese Now Facing Deportation, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Judge Tillman D. Johnson upheld the constitutionality of immigration statutes under which more than 100 Japanese aliens face deportation. Attorney A. L. Wirin will take the case to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.
• Attempt by Real Estate Agent at Intimidation, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A North Hollywood real estate agent confronted a couple about visits from Nisei and Negro guests and reported the incident to county officials. The couple had previously been threatened at another address.

Community

• Co-ed Receives Real Estate License, by P.C. Staff, page 1. May Abe, a student at Lewis and Clark College, became the first Nisei in Portland to receive a real estate license. The news was reported by the Oregon Nippo.
• Southwest Council Will Hold Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Pacific Southwest District Council of the JACL will hold a special meeting in Los Angeles on Dec. 22. Representatives of eleven chapters are expected to attend.
• Two Ex-Californians Get Top Posts on Tokyo Newspaper, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Following a purge of ultranationalists, George Kiyoshi Togasaki became president of the Nippon Times and Goro Murata became general manager. Both are former Californians.
• San Luis Obispo Hold Elections, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Patrick Nagano, a veteran of both Pacific and European theaters, was elected president of the reactivated San Luis Obispo JACL chapter. Other officers were also installed at the December 6 meeting.
• Nisei Girls Among Beauty Queens in Detroit Contest, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Two Nisei women, May Horiuchi and Rose Nieda, were among winners of the International Night beauty queens contest in Detroit. The pageant was held at the Masonic auditorium.
• Tanabe Will Speak at Mass Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Riki Tanabe, Southern California JACL director, will speak at a Bill of Rights commemoration mass meeting in Santa Monica on December 15. The event is held at the Municipal Auditorium.
• Attorney Joe Y. Shibata Returns to Open Chicago Practice, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Joe Y. Shibata has returned from the Army to open a law office in the Central YMCA building in Chicago. The announcement is brief.
• New York JACL to Hold Elections, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The New York JACL chapter will hold its annual elections on December 18 at a Methodist church. A slate of nominees for each office is presented.
• Morishita Elected President of Idaho Falls JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Sadao Morishita was elected president of the Idaho Falls JACL chapter. Other officers were installed and plans for a Christmas party and dance for returned GIs were approved.
• Chicago Christians Hear Appeal for Relief to Europe, by P.C. Staff, page 3. More than 200 people attended the Thanksgiving gathering of the Chicago Nisei Christian group. Helen Suzukida spoke on the need for additional European relief shipments.
• Idaho Governor Will Speak at JACL Parley, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Governor Arnold Williams of Idaho is expected to speak at the first postwar convention of the Intermountain District JACL in Weiser and Boise. The three-day convention includes business sessions, a banquet and bowling.

Arts & Entertainment

• Twelve Returned Evacuees Act in New Hollywood Picture, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Twelve Japanese American actors were recruited for the film Assigned to Treasury, marking the first time since evacuation that Nisei have acted before Hollywood cameras. Several others have roles in MGM’s Green Dolphin Street.
• Mariko Mukai Set for Appearance with Scarsdale Group, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Nisei soprano Mariko Mukai will be guest soloist at the Scarsdale Chorale concert on Dec. 14. She will also perform at the International Student Christian Association assembly at the University of Illinois.
• Lois Kanagawa Will Play at CCYBA Concert in Fresno, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Violinist Lois Kanagawa will appear as guest artist at a CCYBA benefit concert in Fresno on December 29. The concert also features soprano Masako Ono.

JACL

• West Coast JACL Leaders Approve Program, Budget at First Postwar Conclave, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Delegates from three West Coast district councils approved the JACL’s coming-year program and a budget of nearly $120,000 at the first coast-wide conference since evacuation. The Anti-Discrimination Committee will fight for evacuee indemnification and removal of racial immigration restrictions.

Commentary

• Pacific Citizen to Publish 40-Page Holiday Issue, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Pacific Citizen announced a 40-page special holiday issue on December 21 with a resettlement theme. Contributors include leading writers on Japanese American subjects and photographers from across the country.
• Two-Way Passage, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial notes that Nisei soldiers have played an irreplaceable role in the occupation of Japan, applying Louis Adamic’s Two-Way Passage idea. Their bilingual abilities helped cut through suspicion and win cooperation.
• The Roots of Racism, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial examines the outward and inward roots of racism against Japanese Americans and other minorities. It draws on a psychologist’s findings that prejudice often serves to project personal faults onto minority scapegoats.
• Segregated Schools, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial uses a former evacuee’s letter to show how segregated schools breed inferiority. It argues California’s school code authorizing separate schools should be repealed.
• Hollywood and the Nisei, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Tajiri reviews Hollywood’s treatment of Japanese Americans, from wartime films like Air Force and Tokyo, USA that promoted sabotage myths to the gradual return of Nisei actors. He notes that industry attitudes shifted after the 442nd’s story gained attention.
• Vagaries, by Sachi L. Wada, page 5. Wada writes personal reflections from Minneapolis on the downtown brownout, the Washington Bridge, and Minnesota fog. She reflects on hope and the need to secure citizenship rights for Issei parents.
• Pearl Harbor Day, by Joan Kitasako, page 5. Kitasako recalls a lunch with Palo Alto minister Paul Offenhiser the day after Pearl Harbor, when he offered reassurance and friendship. She credits his advocacy with fostering community tolerance.
• UC Clubhouse Is Now in Good Hands, by Jobo Nakamura, page 5. Nakamura reports that the Japanese Student Club clubhouse at Berkeley is now operated by the UC Student Co-operative Association. He reflects on prewar Nisei insularity and the need for broader social engagement.
• From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa describes adoption appeals for a Nisei infant in Kansas City and an Oriental boy in New York. He reflects on the value children bring to homes.
• White Supremacy, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The editorial condemns the British Privy Council’s upholding of Canada’s deportation of citizens of Japanese ancestry. It warns that the precedent could endanger any minority in Canada.
• Maybe a Convert, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The editorial notes that the Republican party assigned Senator Eugene Millikin to study discrimination, a senator who has opposed FEPC legislation. It suggests the party hopes exposure to facts may convert him.

Obituaries

• Fusa K. Suyehiro, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Mrs. Fusa K. Suyehiro, 53, died December 6 in Salt Lake City and is survived by four children. Her death is recorded in the vital statistics column.

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