Tokyo Rose, Issei fishermen and Japanese Americans at the polls

Vol. 27, No. 18, October 30, 1948. 8 pages. View this issue

The Tokyo Rose case ran through this issue. Iva Toguri d’Aquino’s arraignment on treason charges was postponed until November 8, her father told a reporter she was innocent, and six witnesses went back to Japan. Another story was a victory for Issei fishermen: Mike Masaoka of the JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee reported that the Immigration Service had waived passport and re-entry requirements for them. Larry Tajiri’s column looked at the last days of the presidential campaign, and 28 Japanese American candidates stood for office in Hawaii’s November 2 elections.

Also inside: the people of Bruyeres, France, still honoring the 442nd Combat Team, 38 Nisei servicemen and veterans arriving in Seattle with Japanese war brides, and an American Legion resolution on citizenship for alien parents of veterans. Bill Hosokawa wrote about the cost of housing in Denver, and the sports pages followed halfback Ben Aoki and a 706 bowling series in Salt Lake City.

What’s in this issue

Community

• Yoshiko Yasuda Killed in Auto Crash Near San Jose, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Yoshiko Yasuda, 23, of Cupertino died of injuries sustained in an auto accident at Stevens Creek road and Miller street. Her brother Ringo was seriously injured, and the other driver and his family escaped uninjured.
• Nisei Students Organize Group at University, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Nearly 200 Nisei students at a university are organizing a group with no racial restrictions on membership. The organization aims to bring together Nisei students on campus.
• 28 Japanese Americans Seek Territorial, County Offices in Hawaii Elections, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Twenty-eight Japanese American candidates are running for territorial and county offices in Hawaii’s November 2 elections. The article surveys key races including delegate, senate, house, and county boards.
• Noted Sculptor Announces Support for Henry Wallace, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Sculptor Isamu Noguchi urged Japanese Americans to support Henry Wallace in the upcoming election. The Nisei-for-Wallace committee also cited support from Sono Osato and Yuriko Amemiya.
• Chicago Issei Dies in Hospital, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Heitaro Goto, 64, died in a Chicago hospital after swallowing wads of newspaper. His son said he had recently been placed in the hospital under a doctor’s orders.
• East Los Angeles Chapter Members View ‘Nisei Story’, by P.C. Staff, page 2. East Los Angeles JACL members viewed the War Department documentary ‘Nisei Story’ and heard from congressional candidates. Rep. Chet Holifield and two rivals addressed the members.
• Veterans Group Seeks Action Against Anti-Nisei Film Roles, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Nisei Veterans Association asked the motion picture industry for assurances on future portrayals of Nisei characters after reports that RKO planned a film on the Tomoya Kawakita treason case. Counsel J. B. Tietz was investigating before any formal protest.
• Canada Nisei Study Resettlement, Aid Franchise Fight, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The National Japanese Canadian Citizens Association will sponsor a study of wartime resettlement and support British Columbia franchise rights. Additional projects include employment improvements and return of deported Japanese Canadians.
• Ex-Kamikaze Trainee Returns to Family in Hawaiian Islands, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Teruo Tanaka, a 21-year-old American-born Nisei who trained as a Japanese kamikaze pilot, returned to his parents in Honolulu. He later served as a translator for U.S. Army counterintelligence in Japan.
• Reno JACL Group Commended for Renovating Building, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Reno JACL members spent a day cleaning and renovating the California building in Idlewild Park, which the city made available free of charge. Park officials praised the group’s work.
• Fresno Group Collects ‘Parcels of Cheer’ for Overseas Aid, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Fresno 20440 club collected 420 pounds of goods for overseas relief at a potluck supper. The donations were packed into 21 parcels for a mission school in Hiroshima.
• Nisei Hunter Hurt by Stray Bullets, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Umeharu Yaotani, 32, was struck by stray bullets while fishing on the Mokelumne river near Stockton. Witnesses reported seeing two armed men leave the area, and an investigation is underway.
• St. Louis JACL Will Aid Filing of Claims Forms, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The St. Louis JACL chapter will assist Japanese American evacuees in filing claims under Public Law 886 during November claims processing nights. Interpreters and secretarial help will be provided.
• Chicago Oriental Council to Present Dances by Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Chicago Oriental Council will present Oriental Odyssey, a benefit program with dance and music from several Asian cultures. Several Nisei performers are featured.
• Seek to Insure Minority Rights to Own Home in Redwood City, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Redwood City Council for Civic Unity urged real estate firms to honor a recent Supreme Court ruling barring racial restrictions on home ownership. It is asking realtors to commit to selling homes without racial restriction.
• Float Wins Second Prize at Reedley, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Japanese American community’s float took second place among major floats at the Reedley Siesta. The float bore the inscription ‘A Toast to Reedley from the Japanese Community.’
• Chicago ADC Plans Canvass of City in Coming Fund Drive, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Chicago ADC divided the city into thirty districts for its fund drive, with Issei and Nisei solicitor teams assigned to each. The article lists the districts and their assigned workers.

Military & Veterans

• Bruyeres’ Citizens Remember Heroism of Nisei Troops on Lost Battalion Anniversary, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The people of Bruyeres, France, continue to honor the 442nd Combat Team soldiers who liberated their town and rescued the Lost Battalion four years earlier. A JACL memorial and bronze plaque in the Vosges mountains commemorate the Nisei soldiers’ sacrifice.
• American Legion’s Resolution Urges Citizenship Rights for Alien Parents of Servicemen, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The American Legion national convention unanimously adopted a resolution urging naturalization for alien parents of veterans killed in combat or honorably discharged. JACL’s Mike Masaoka called it a historic first for the Legion regarding Orientals.

National

• Waive Government Restrictions Against Issei Fishermen Leaving West Coast Ports, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Resident alien Japanese fishermen were placed on an equal basis with other West Coast commercial fishermen when the Immigration Service waived passport and re-entry requirements. Mike Masaoka of the JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee reported the decision as a victory against discrimination.
• Nisei Is First to be Called in Los Angeles Draft, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Waichi Kawai, 25, became the first draftee in Los Angeles’ new selective service call. He was among 17 single nonveterans processed Monday.
• First Degree Murder Charge Filed in Utah Farm Slaying, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Kanichi Imaizumi, a Pacific War veteran, was charged with first degree murder after confessing to strangling his father during an argument on a Utah beet farm. He surrendered to authorities hours after the killing.
• L.A. County Seeks to Oust Evacuees from Trailer Homes, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Los Angeles County Health department is seeking to evict at least five Japanese American families from a trailer camp in Harbor City citing overcrowding. Residents, who returned from war relocation camps in 1946, protested the eviction list.
• State Department Announces Rescinding of Regulations on Exit Permits for Issei Group, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The State Department waived wartime exit permit regulations affecting Japanese aliens, a change the JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee had pursued for over a year. The action most affects traders, repatriates, and commercial fishermen.
• Father of ‘Tokyo Rose’ Says She Is Innocent of Charges, by P.C. Staff, page 3. J. Toguri, a Chicago grocer, insisted his daughter Iva d’Aquino, accused as Tokyo Rose, is innocent. He said she went to Japan in 1941 to aid a sick aunt and was pursuing medical studies.
• Arraignment of Mrs. d’Aquino Delayed in Federal Court, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The arraignment of Iva Toguri d’Aquino on treason charges was postponed until November 8. Her attorney Wayne Collins is preparing a motion to dismiss the indictment.
• Six Tokyo Rose Witnesses Go Back to Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Six of eight witnesses brought from Japan for the Tokyo Rose trial returned to Japan due to arraignment delays. Two others remained in the United States.
• Candidates Promise to Support Utah Civil Rights Proposals, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A survey by the Salt Lake City Council for Civic Unity found most Utah candidates support civil rights and fair employment legislation. Some candidates were evasive or unavailable for interviews.
• 38 Nisei GIs, Veterans Return Home From Occupation Service With Japanese ‘War Brides’, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Sixty-four Japanese war brides arrived in Seattle aboard the USAT Republic, 38 of them wives of Nisei servicemen. The article details destinations and the legal framework under which the brides were admitted.
• Nisei Is Chosen for Editorial Work in the Pacific Citizen, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial on page 4 discusses the continuing need for JACL and minority rights organizations even after wartime restrictions ended. It argues that public opinion and discrimination still require organized advocacy.
• Nisei Linguists Help Translate Trial Verdicts, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Four Nisei are serving as translators in the final stages of the war crimes trials of former Premier Hideki Tojo and others. They are working in a guarded building until the verdicts are complete.

JACL

• JACL Convention Movie to be Previewed at Salt Lake Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A one-hour film of the 10th biennial JACL convention in Salt Lake City will receive its first public showing at the Buddhist church. The film documents convention activities and will eventually be shown to chapters nationwide.
• JACL Office Will Investigate Report of Film on Traitor, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The JACL regional office in Los Angeles was asked to investigate reports that a studio was producing a film about a Japanese American traitor. The organization pledged to look into the matter.
• Noboru Honda Named Vice-President of East-West Group, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Noboru Honda, Midwest JACL leader, was elected vice president of the East and West Fellowship. The Rev. Gyomay Kubose also serves on the board of directors.

Arts & Entertainment

• Nisei Produces Feature Film on Life of People of Samoa, by P.C. Staff, page 3. George Tahara, America’s only Nisei motion picture producer, is editing a feature film about Samoan island life using an all-native cast. The 16mm film was shot over three months.
• Life Has But One Spring: Masao in Chicago, by Jobo Nakamura, page 5. Masao, a Nisei student in Chicago, feels insecure and burdened by his past as he rides home after evening classes. A visit to a grocery store and a warm moment with his sister reveal his inner struggle.

Commentary

• Need for Organizational Action, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial responds to Angus MacInnis’s suggestion that the Japanese Canadian Citizens Association may have finished its work. It argues minority organizations remain necessary because discrimination and prejudice persist.
• Housing Needs of Minorities, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial argues that returned evacuees and other minorities in California face discriminatory housing practices. It urges support for Proposition 14, the State Housing Initiative, which would bar racial discrimination in state-supported homes.
• Nisei USA: The Last Days of the Campaign, by Larry Tajiri, page 5. Larry Tajiri reviews the closing days of the presidential campaign and Nisei political activity. He criticizes Earl Warren’s wartime role in the evacuation and notes Warren was never pressed on it during the campaign.
• Hue and Cry, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A short commentary notes that anti-Chinese sentiment has lessened but remains, and argues that Japanese Americans’ combat record in World War II shows what collective group achievement can accomplish.
• From the Frying Pan: The High Cost of Housing, by Bill Hosokawa, page 6. Bill Hosokawa describes watching empty Denver lots fill with apartment buildings and notes the rents are out of reach for an ordinary working man. He also comments on fishing reports from readers in New York and Japan.
• The Ordeal of Richard Kaji, by Roku Sugahara, page 6. A columnist recounts a former West Coast Nisei friend who wants to leave his waiter job and invest $5,000 in a business. The column explores options and concludes that patience is wise.
• Hashimoto and the Fifteen Grand, by Roku Sugahara, page 6. The columnist tells how Hashimoto, a returned Army interpreter, lost fifteen thousand dollars of relatives’ money trying to build an import business in New York. His grand schemes never delivered products.

Sports

• Nisei Halfback Star Ben Aoki Stars for Long Beach Poly, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Ben Aoki of Long Beach Polytechnic was the featured performer in a win over Herbert Hoover high school, scoring multiple touchdowns. His play drew attention in the local sports pages.
• Dr. Kurumada Hits 706 in Jaycee League, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Dr. Jun Kurumada rolled a three-game series of 706 in Salt Lake Junior Chamber of Commerce bowling league play. He is the second Nisei to reach that mark in Salt Lake City.

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