Alien Land Law and Evacuation Claims, March 1947

Vol. 24, No. 8, March 1, 1947. 8 pages. View this issue

The fight over California’s Alien Land Law ran through this eight-page issue. A state-wide legislative conference in Sacramento, with more than 500 delegates, called for an evacuation claims bill, repeal of the law and naturalization regardless of race. A petition asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review the Oyama case, and an editorial argued that Fred Oyama deserved the same rights as any other citizen. Utah’s Senate voted 20 to 0 to repeal its own land law. Larry Tajiri marked five years since DeWitt’s proclamation, and Bill Hosokawa called for faster return of the 900 Nisei stranded in Japan.

Elsewhere in the paper: Edward Rohrbough’s profile of Koji Ariyoshi, an account of the O’Connor plant explosion in Los Angeles that killed two Nisei women, George Shibata’s West Point alternate listing, and Wat Misaka’s game for Utah. Chapter news came from Gardena Valley, Fresno, San Francisco and Watsonville.

What’s in this issue

National

• Story of Nisei Girl Told on Radio Broadcast, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The radio drama ‘Bend With the Wind,’ about a Japanese American girl, was broadcast on KSTP in St. Paul as the first of a sponsored series on human relations. The program was produced by the St. Paul Council of Human Relations and the Minneapolis Mayor’s Committee.
• Kageyama Appointed to New Post in Hawaii CIO Union, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Richard Kageyama, a war veteran and first person of Japanese ancestry elected to the Honolulu Board of Supervisors, was named personal service director of the CIO Culinary and Service Workers’ Union. He will assist members with legislative advice, insurance consultation, contract negotiations and grievances.
• American Veterans Committee California Urges Repeal of State’s Alien Land Law, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The California Council of the American Veterans Committee urged repeal of the Alien Land Law at its state convention in San Jose. The AVC also condemned discrimination, urged a state fair employment practices law, and opposed restrictive housing covenants.
• California Conference Seeks Payment of Evacuee Claims, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The State-wide Legislative Conference in Sacramento urged Congress to create a claims commission to indemnify measurable evacuation losses. Delegates also called for repeal of the entire Alien Land Law and federal action to permit naturalization regardless of race.
• Utah House Will Act on Repeal of Alien Land Law, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Utah House of Representatives was expected to vote on SB 122 repealing the state’s Alien Land Law after the Senate passed it 20 to 0. Senators praised the war records of Americans of Japanese ancestry during the debate.
• San Jose Pair Ask Return of Farm Equipment, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Harry and John Y. Araki sued in Superior Court to recover farming implements they say they left with the Cols at evacuation. They seek return of the equipment plus $10,000 in damages and rental fees.
• California Will Proceed With Escheat Case, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Federal Judge William C. Mathes ruled that California may proceed with escheat proceedings against Kuye Takano over 40 acres of land. The property was part of a bankruptcy estate, but the federal court held state jurisdiction was not defeated.
• Plan Circulation of Petition for Issei Citizenship, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The newly organized Committee for Equality in Naturalization will circulate a petition in Northern California asking Congress to permit Japanese aliens to become citizens. The petition will be signed by resident Japanese aliens to show their desire for citizenship.

Incarceration & Redress

• Recommendations for Evacuation Claims Bill Made by State-Wide Conference, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A state-wide legislative conference in Sacramento called for immediate action on an evacuation claims bill, removal of racial restrictions in naturalization, and repeal of the Alien Land Law. George Makabe of Loomis represented the Northern California JACL at the convention of more than 500 delegates.
• Supreme Court Asked to Rule on Alien Land Law, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A petition for a writ of certiorari was filed with the U.S. Supreme Court asking review of the California Supreme Court decision in the Oyama Alien Land Law case. The petition argues the law violates the Fourteenth Amendment rights of citizens and aliens of Japanese ancestry.
• Fifty Santa Clara County Issei File for First Papers, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Fifty resident aliens of Japanese ancestry filed for first naturalization papers through the JACL of Santa Clara County. Two applicants have received first papers, though aliens of Japanese ancestry remain barred from final citizenship.
• California State Senate Asked for Funds for Land Law Case, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A bill seeking additional funds to enforce the Alien Land Law against Japanese Americans was introduced in the California Senate. The JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee planned to oppose it, arguing voters had repudiated the law by defeating Proposition 15.
• Canadian Veterans Group Asks Ban on Evacuee Return, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans of Canada urged extending government controls over persons of Japanese ancestry for ten more years. A Haney, B.C. Board of Trade resolution also asked for their exclusion from the coastal region.

Military & Veterans

• George Shibata Named as Alternate to West Point, by P.C. Staff, page 1. George Shibata of Garland, Utah, was named first alternate for the July class at West Point by Senator Elbert D. Thomas, becoming the first Nisei named to a West Point list. A 1944 honor graduate who served in Europe, he is now working on his mother’s farm.
• Nisei, Stranded in China During War, Will Return, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Roy Morio Uyeshima, a Nisei stranded in Shanghai at the outbreak of war, was cleared by American authorities and left for the United States. The Tri-State JACL office aided him in obtaining clearance.
• Two Nisei Ex-GIs Chosen to Lead Hawaii Eleven, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Two Japanese American veterans of the 442nd who starred for the University of Hawaii football team were elected co-captains for 1947. The co-captains are Unkei Uchima and Sadao Watasaki.
• Six Thousand Nisei Trained at G-2 School, by P.C. Staff, page 2. More than 6,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry have been trained at the Military Intelligence Service Language School since 1942. The 24th class graduated 87 GIs, and officials stressed the need for more Nisei for occupation work in Japan.
• May Reactivate San Francisco Legion Post, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Plans are being made to reactivate the Townsend Harris Post No. 483 of the American Legion in San Francisco, a post of Japanese American veterans suspended during the war. Yajiro Okamoto is leading the reorganization effort.
• Seattle Soldier Wins Promotion, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Samuel S. Komorita of Seattle was promoted to Technician 5th Grade while serving as chief courier at the Allied Translator and Interpreter Service in Tokyo. He had studied at Bethel College and the University of Nebraska before entering service in 1944.
• Many Stranded Nisei Scheduled to Return to U.S., by P.C. Staff, page 3. Substantial numbers of the 900 Americans of Japanese ancestry stranded in Japan since 1941 are expected to return to the U.S. over the next four months. The first group of about 40 arrived in San Francisco on the Marine Adder.
• Nisei War Veteran Aids Rescue of Victims of L.A. Disaster, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Buster Suzuki, a 442nd veteran, was among the first to rush to the rescue of victims of the O’Connor plant explosion. He helped carry the injured to waiting cars and hospitals.
• Wat Misaka Lauded for Showing in Colorado Game, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Wat Misaka, University of Utah forward, scored six points and set up plays in a 57-38 win over Colorado. The victory tied Utah with Wyoming for first place in the Big Seven basketball conference.

Community

• Nisei Ski Star Enters Competition for Olympics Team, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Yasi Teramoto of Norden, California, competed in the national downhill slalom championships at Snow Basin, Utah. The competition also selected an American team for the 1948 Olympic Games.
• British Columbia, Ontario Have Largest Totals of Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 2. British Columbia and Ontario have the largest populations of the 20,603 persons of Japanese ancestry remaining in Canada. Labor Minister Humphrey Mitchell also reported that 3,964 Japanese and Japanese Canadians have been deported to Japan since 1945.
• New Radio Series Discusses Contributions of Minorities, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A six-week radio series on KALL’s Radio Forum examines minority contributions to American life and culture. The series is sponsored by the NAACP, JACL and Council for Civic Unity.
• Separate Nisei Legion Post Seen in Watsonville, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The American Legion post in Watsonville voted to sponsor a separate post for Japanese American war veterans. The all-Nisei post will be inaugurated once 14 charter members are signed.
• Fresno CRDU Will Raise Fund for ADC Campaign, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Fresno Civil Rights Defense Union voted to raise $15,000 for the JACL-ADC financial drive, with a March 31 closing date. Of the amount, $10,000 will go to the National JACL and $5,000 will be kept in Fresno.
• Dr. Togasaki Will Head JACL Chapter in San Francisco, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Dr. Yoshiye Togasaki was elected president of the San Francisco JACL chapter by mail ballot. She recently returned from service as a captain in the Army medical corps with UNRRA in Italy.
• Two Nisei Believed Killed, Four Others Hurt in O’Connor Plant Explosion, by P.C. Staff, page 3. An explosion at the O’Connor Electro-Plating plant in Los Angeles killed Akiko Otomo and is believed to have killed Alice Iba, both Nisei employees. Four other women of Japanese ancestry were injured in the blast that killed 15 people.
• Thirteen Escheat Suits May Be Filed Against Nisei in Sonoma County, by P.C. Staff, page 8. District Attorney Charles J. McGoldrick announced a suit against Tomataro Kobuke seeking escheat of 38 acres owned by his daughters. Twelve other cases were pending and more property was under investigation.

JACL

• Gardena Valley JACL Holds First Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Gardena Valley JACL held its first meeting under president Paul Shinoda and focused on the national JACL-ADC financial drive. The chapter set a $6,000 goal and named a finance committee.

Arts & Entertainment

• Nisei Singer Will Make Debut at New York Town Hall, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mariko Mukai, a Nisei coloratura soprano, will make her Town Hall debut in New York on March 16 with a program of Mozart, Gretry, Mahler and Strauss. She previously won a fellowship at the Juilliard School of Music.

Commentary

• Appeal to the Supreme Court, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial argues the Oyama case threatens citizenship rights because the California Supreme Court focused on the alien parents rather than the Nisei son. It contends Fred Oyama should enjoy the same legal rights as any other American citizen.
• WRA Reports, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial reviews the War Relocation Authority’s final reports on the evacuation and resettlement of 120,000 persons. It stresses their value as historical documents and as warnings against future civil liberties violations.
• Something of an Anniversary, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Tajiri marks five years since DeWitt’s evacuation proclamation and examines the decision-making behind mass removal. He cites WRA reports showing opposition from the Attorney General and Justice Department officials.
• Clarke Kawakami Plans Return to Work With ATIS in Japan, by John Kitasako, page 5. Clarke Kawakami, a half-Japanese Eurasian who worked in psychological warfare in Burma and China, was reunited in Tokyo with his actress wife Chiyeko Takehisa. He plans to return to Japan with ATIS after a discharge visit.
• The Problem of War-Stranded Nisei, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa calls for faster processing of the 900 stranded Nisei cleared to return from Japan, criticizing consular delays. He urges careful screening of collaborators while speeding the return of those merely caught by the war.
• On Assimilation, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The column argues Nisei have become part of American life, appearing in news as victims, athletes, officers and ordinary citizens. It concludes they are increasingly unremarkable members of the national scene.
• Vagaries, by P.C. Staff, page 5. This column collects brief notes on Nisei achievements, including basketball at Madison Square Garden, an etcher’s magazine work, and the Japanese-language press. It also mentions Japanese redcaps in Seattle and the Hawaii statehood push.

In-Depth

• Saga of a Nisei GI: Koji Ariyoshi Advised Army’s Top Brass on China Situation, by Edward Rohrbough, page 5. Koji Ariyoshi, a Nisei psychological warfare sergeant, became a go-between for American and Chinese Communist forces during the tense Hurley period. His life story includes Hawaii plantation roots, Georgia journalism studies, and wartime incarceration at Manzanar.

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