1947: Nisei in Japan seek to return, and land law cases advance

Vol. 24, No. 9, March 8, 1947. 8 pages. View this issue

More than 12,000 Japanese Americans stranded in Japan had applied to return to the United States, U.S. Consul Alexis Johnson reported, and a first group of 70 was due to sail for San Francisco on March 8. Nearer to home, the front page followed the Alien Land Law: the Oyama case before the U.S. Supreme Court, a California bill to fund more prosecutions, and a county settlement. Inside, Larry Tajiri wrote about a Paul Robeson concert in Salt Lake City, and Norman Thomas called the wartime forced removal of Japanese Americans the worst blunder in the country’s civil liberties history.

The issue also covered Tule Lake citizenship test cases, amnesty sought by attorney A. L. Wirin for Nisei draft resisters, and Mike Masaoka’s talks in Washington on immigration law. Bill Hosokawa’s column, a first-person piece by Sachi L. Wada, and a Los Angeles report on the O’Connor plant explosion round out the pages. JACL chapter news came from Boise Valley, Chicago, Stockton and Washington.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• Report Twelve Thousand Nisei in Japan Have Applied for Repatriation to United States, by P.C. Staff, page 1. U.S. Consul Alexis Johnson reported that more than 12,000 Japanese Americans in Japan have applied for repatriation to the United States. The first group of 70 is scheduled to leave for San Francisco on March 8 under a new priority system for those with relatives in America.
• Northern California Group Backs Oyama Land Law Test Case, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The directors of the Northern California Civil Rights Defense Union reversed their earlier decision and voted to support the Oyama case before the U.S. Supreme Court. The reversal followed legal opinions that the case should be presented to the high court.
• Tule Lake Test Cases Moved to New Court, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Test cases challenging renunciations of citizenship by Japanese Americans at the Tule Lake segregation center were transferred to Federal Judge Louis Goodman. The ACLU also reported habeas corpus suits for Japanese aliens held as dangerous enemy aliens.
• Amnesty Sought by Wirin for Evacuee Draft Resisters, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Attorney A. L. Wirin urged presidential amnesty for Nisei indicted for refusing Army induction while confined in war relocation centers. He argued the men had refused because they felt unlawfully imprisoned and unjustly treated.
• Nisei Girl Gives Eye-Witness Account of O’Connor Explosion, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Yoshi Kadota, a Nisei chemist, survived the O’Connor electro-plating plant explosion and gave the first eyewitness account. She recalled being thrown from the building and believed chemist Robert McGee and Alice Iba were killed.

Community

• Granger Backs Bill for Permanent Residence of Japanese Alien Wife of Citizen, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. Walter Granger of Utah introduced a bill to permit the permanent residence of Mitsu M. Kobayashi, alien wife of an American citizen. The bill was introduced in the House of Representatives on February 27.
• Boise Valley JACL Conducts Drive for Membership, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Boise Valley JACL is conducting a house-to-house membership canvass and a Pacific Citizen subscription drive. Committee members from several Idaho and Oregon towns are participating.
• Kenneth Pettus Addresses Chicago JACL Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Kenneth Pettus, former Tokyo managing editor of Stars and Stripes, spoke to 150 members at a Chicago JACL membership rally. The evening also featured a radio skit titled Double or Nothing.
• Seek Better Police Protection for San Francisco Area, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Merchants in San Francisco’s Fillmore area plan a special committee to seek better police protection after crimes against returned evacuees. The committee may also study the crime situation in the neighborhood.
• Washington JACL Holds First Social, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Washington JACL hosted its first 1947 social at Pierce Hall of All Souls Unitarian Church. The program included dancing, games, and community singing.
• Discuss Amending Laws to Stay Deportation of Alien Residents, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A House subcommittee discussed bills by Reps. George Miller and Herman Eberharter to allow suspension of deportations of Japanese aliens. The JACL said members were receptive to revising discriminatory immigration provisions.
• L.A. City Council Considers Claims of Blast Victims, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Councilman Charles Allen recommended an official city committee to handle claims for victims of the O’Connor electro-plating plant explosion, in which two Nisei were killed. He argued the blast warranted official action to protect victims’ rights.
• Lodi Issei Reported Suicide at Hospital, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Umekichi Tanaka, 61, of Lodi, died after leaping from a window of a Stockton hospital where he had been confined. He had been a patient for some time.
• JACL President to Participate in City Program, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Jack Nakagawa, president of the Chicago JACL, will take part in a city-wide interracial program titled The World Faces Youth. The event is sponsored by the Chicago Area Council of Liberal Religious Youth.
• Earl Finch Wants a Better Break for GI Amputees, by John Kitasako, page 5. Earl Finch, a Nisei veteran advocate, is seeking changes to the Lucas bill so that Hawaiian and West Coast amputee veterans can receive specially equipped cars. The $1,600 price cap prevents them from buying the vehicles where they live.
• Bill Introduced for Japanese Wife of GI, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Rep. Louis Graham introduced a private bill to admit Akiko Tsukado Miller, Japanese wife of a Navy lieutenant, under the Soldier Brides Act. JACL legislative director Mike Masaoka said the bill highlights the discrimination of that act.
• Canada May Set Up Claims Commission to Review Sales of Evacuee Properties, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Canadian Secretary of State Colin Gibson told the House of Commons a commission may review claims for properties of Japanese Canadians sold during the war. The New Canadian reported that the Custodian of Japanese Property was questioned about forced sales.
• Stockton Chapter Is Reactivated, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Stockton JACL chapter was reactivated at a meeting at the Buddhist church, with Joseph Omachi named president pro-tem. The new officers will serve a three-month term.
• National Nisei Bowling Meet Will Be Held in Salt Lake City, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The National JACL and Salt Lake City chapter announced the first national Nisei bowling tournament, with invitations sent to bowlers in thirty cities. Competition will include singles, doubles, and team events with a prize pot over $1,000.

Military & Veterans

• Paraplegic Nisei Veteran Learns to Fly Plane, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Shigemitsu Suyetani, a 442nd veteran confined to a wheelchair from wounds received in Italy, has learned to fly. He is one of three paraplegic patients at Kennedy VA hospital taking flight training.
• Nisei GIs Vital to Success of Occupation, Says Army, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Military Intelligence Service Language School announced a recruiting campaign for Nisei linguists needed for occupation duty in Japan. Recruiting teams will visit Japanese American communities and explain enlistment terms and promotions.
• 442nd Veteran Wins $10,000 House from AVC, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Tom Takata of Sacramento, a 442nd Combat Team veteran, won a $10,000 house in a raffle at the American Veterans Committee state convention in San Jose. He was notified of his win by wire.
• Arizona Nisei Boy Honored for Heroism, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Joe Yoshimoto, 13, received a Boy Scouts award for rescuing a fellow scout from drowning in the Salt River. He pulled the boy from the water and applied resuscitation techniques he had learned.
• Nisei Admitted to California Bar, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Masatatsu Yonemura of Berkeley, a Nisei veteran who served in the South Pacific, was admitted to the California state bar on March 4. He graduated from Boalt Hall of Law at the University of California.
• Seattle Family Awaits Return of Son’s Ashes From Italy, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The family of Yasuo Fujino, a 442nd PFC killed in Italy in 1944, keeps earth from his grave on a Buddhist shrine. They have requested that his cremated remains be returned under the war department’s repatriation program.

National

• California Bill Asks Fund for Land Law Cases, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Senate Bill 1453 seeks a $200,000 appropriation to continue investigation and prosecution of persons of Japanese ancestry under the California Alien Land Law. About 100 cases have been filed or are being prepared against Japanese American agricultural property holders.
• California Supreme Court Hears Stockton Theatre Case, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The California Supreme Court heard a case testing whether resident Japanese aliens may lease commercial property under the Alien Land Law. The dispute involves a Stockton theater leased to a Japanese alien-controlled corporation.
• Bill Seeks Repeal of California School Segregation Provision, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Assembly Bill 1375 would repeal a section of the California Education Code allowing separate schools for children of Indian, Chinese, Japanese, or Mongolian parentage. A similar bill was introduced in the 1945 legislature.
• Madera County Gets $15,000 for Part in Land Law Cases, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Madera County received $15,250 in settlement of two Alien Land Law suits, half of the total settlement amount. District Attorney John Boyle said the Japanese aliens involved would be dispossessed of the properties.
• Hawaiian Statehood Official Answers Anti-Nisei Criticism By Michigan Congressman, by P.C. Staff, page 2. George McLane of the Hawaii Statehood Committee rejected Rep. Fred Crawford’s claim that Japanese American representation in Congress would hamper MacArthur’s efforts in Japan. Rep. Clair Engle reported that MacArthur favored Hawaiian statehood as a step toward democracy in Japan.
• Racial Minorities Victimized as Scapegoats in Time of Economic Crisis, Says Writer, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Author Carey McWilliams told a Los Angeles rally that economic crises make racial minorities scapegoats and warned of a possible Fascist revolt. He urged Nisei to join liberal and labor groups in a common fight for democracy.
• Masaoka Discusses Nisei Problems with Maine Congressman, by P.C. Staff, page 2. JACL legislative director Mike Masaoka discussed discriminatory naturalization and alien laws with Rep. Frank Fellows of Maine. Fellows expressed sympathy and promised Masaoka a hearing before the subcommittee.
• Negro Groups Learning to Live, Work Together in Downtown Los Angeles Area, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Japanese American returnees and Negro residents of the former Little Tokyo area met to address readjustment problems and rumors of forced evacuation. Civic leaders and police attended, and officials pledged better protection for the district.
• Deadline Announced for Claims Against Confiscated Property, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Attorney General Tom Clark announced a June 1, 1947 deadline for filing debt claims against enemy property seized during the war. Owners who want their property returned must file claims before July 1, 1947 or risk its use for debt payment.

Commentary

• Two Evacuations, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This editorial compares the Japanese American evacuation with the Canadian evacuation, noting the War Relocation Authority’s resettlement focus versus Canada’s penalties for loyalty. It concludes that the U.S. government’s recognition of Nisei rights went further toward restitution.
• Separate Posts, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This editorial examines proposals for separate Nisei veterans’ posts in the American Legion and VFW. It argues that the history of segregated Japanese American posts in California shows the dangers of such segregation.
• A Time for Great Courage, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Larry Tajiri describes a Salt Lake City concert by Paul Robeson, who announced he would leave the concert stage to fight racial discrimination. Robeson recalled his earlier support for Nisei and his opposition to racial stereotyping in film.
• From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Columnist Bill Hosokawa responds to a reader who objected to his political comments. He argues that the column expresses only his own views and that non-partisanship should mean equal opportunity for all parties to be heard.
• Tomorrow’s Heirs, by Sachi L. Wada, page 5. The author reflects on a 1942 diary entry about the forced evacuation to Tulare and the friends they lost touch with. She recalls their youthful ambitions and a beloved teacher who inspired them.
• Mass Evacuation Worst Blunder in Country’s History, Says Thomas, by Norman Thomas, page 8. Socialist leader Norman Thomas calls the wartime evacuation of Japanese Americans the worst blunder in the country’s civil liberties history. He notes that Congress approved partial compensation and that California voters rejected measures against the land laws.

In-Depth

• Background of an Artist: Sharecropper’s Son, by Jobo Nakamura, page 5. The author recalls Dick, a Nisei artist who worked on his father’s asparagus ranch in the Sacramento delta despite his ambitions to study art. Dick’s frustrated desires reflected the struggles of many Nisei to pursue their individual talents.

Sports

• Bob Takeshita Beats Richard Asato Before 12,000 Fans, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Palama welterweight Bob Takeshita defeated Richard Asato by technical knockout in a ten-round bout at Honolulu Stadium. The win was his fourteenth straight, and he plans to fight on the mainland in April.

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