Issei citizenship, evacuation claims and Nisei soldiers brought home

Vol. 27, No. 23, December 4, 1948. 8 pages. View this issue

The push for naturalization rights for Issei ran through this eight-page issue. Tsuyoshi Matsumoto, a Japan-born University of Hawaii professor, became a citizen through a special act of Congress. Utah Congressman Walter K. Granger said he would support the Judd bill, and the Idaho State Farm Bureau passed a resolution in favor of naturalization for resident Japanese aliens. JACL offices also reported heavy demand for evacuation claims forms under Public Law 886, with 17,000 packets sent out. Togo W. Tanaka wrote about door-to-door fund canvassing for the Chicago ADC.

Several stories honored Nisei soldiers killed in the war, including funeral rites for Sgt. Kazuo Masuda of the 442nd and mass burial rites for four Nisei soldiers. George Kawaguchi’s letter described his first day of combat near Suvereto, Italy, in July 1944. Bill Hosokawa wrote about Nisei basketball, and the editorials took up campus fraternity prejudice and CARE packages for Japan.

What’s in this issue

National

• Tsuyoshi Matsumoto Becomes American Citizen Through Special Action of Congress, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Tsuyoshi Matsumoto, a Japan-born University of Hawaii language professor, became a naturalized American citizen in Honolulu through a special act of Congress. He had been an outspoken anti-militarist in Japan and served as a Japanese language instructor in the U.S. Army.
• Rep. Granger Will Support Issei Citizenship, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Utah Congressman Walter K. Granger declared that the wartime loyalty of resident Japanese aliens merits equal naturalization rights. He met with Ogden JACL representatives and reaffirmed his support for the Judd bill.
• Heavy Demand for Evacuee Claims Material Noted by JACL National Headquarters, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL offices nationwide received heavy requests for evacuation claims forms under Public Law 886, with 17,000 claims packets distributed. The JACL also asked the Justice Department to expedite payment of household loss claims.
• Nisei Attorney Admitted to Bar in Ontario Province, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Lucien Coe Kurata became the first attorney of Japanese ancestry admitted to the Ontario bar. He plans to learn Japanese to help Japanese Canadian evacuees with legal problems.
• Idaho State Farm Bureau Asks Naturalization Bill Passage, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Idaho State Farm Bureau unanimously adopted a resolution favoring opening naturalization to resident Japanese aliens. The resolution was sponsored by the Tyhee Farm Bureau and forwarded to Idaho’s senators and representatives.

Military & Veterans

• Nisei Veterans Laid to Rest at San Bruno Cemetery, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Military burial rites were held at Golden Gate National Cemetery for Pfc. Tsutomu Ohki and Pfc. Mamoru Kinoshita, two Livingston-area Nisei who died in the war. Kinoshita was killed in Italy with the 442nd Combat Team in 1945.
• Funeral Rites Set for Nisei Combat Hero Kazuo Masuda, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Services for Sgt. Kazuo Masuda, killed in Italy with the 442nd and posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, will be held at Wintersburg Japanese Presbyterian church. His remains were expected in Orange County on Dec. 7.
• Final Rites Given Seattle Soldier, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A rosary and requiem mass were held in Seattle for Staff Sgt. Francis Tsukasa Kinoshita, a 442nd Combat Team soldier killed near Castellino, Italy in 1944. He was buried in Veterans Memorial cemetery.
• Robert Mukai Aids Utah University Speech Victory, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Robert Mukai and Richard Laney of the University of Utah tied for third at the Western Speech conference in Seattle. Mukai also placed fourth in the individual impromptu oratory contest.
• Nisei Veteran Heads Legion Post in Ohio, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Byron S. Fujikawa, a 442nd veteran, was named commander of the Smith Barrett American Legion post in Columbus. He is the first Nisei to head an Ohio Legion post and hopes to attend Ohio State medical school.
• The Day of Battle, by George Kawaguchi, page 4. A soldier’s letter describes his first day of combat near Suvereto, Italy, in July 1944, including exhausting marches and encountering a dead German soldier. He recounts advice from a veteran GI and a wine-sharing encounter with a farmer.
• Nisei Veteran Heads Legion Post in Ohio, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Byron S. Fujikawa, a 442nd Combat Team veteran, was named commander of the Smith Barrett post of the American Legion in Columbus. He is the first Nisei to head an Ohio Legion post.

Community

• Nisei Student Wins Top Award at Oregon U., by P.C. Staff, page 1. Albert Akira Oyama of Portland, a senior pre-medical student at the University of Oregon, won the $1,000 Kenneth A. J. McKenzie Memorial Scholarship. He led all contenders with a 3.79 grade point average.
• Takako Yoshikawa Crowned Miss Bussei of Northern California, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Takako Yoshikawa of Placer was crowned queen at the Northern California Young Buddhists League convention in Marysville. She will represent Northern California in the 1949 WYBL queen contest at Fresno.
• Los Angeles County Will Seek Court Ruling on Intermarriage, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Los Angeles County deputy counsel James Colby is applying for U.S. Supreme Court review of the California Supreme Court decision striking down the state’s interracial marriage ban. Several mixed-race marriage licenses had been issued since the ruling.
• Intermountain JACL Approves $8,000 Goal for Fund Campaign, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Intermountain JACL district convention in Pocatello approved an $8,000 budget for the National JACL and pledged to raise it by January. Delegates also decided to contact area congressional representatives on behalf of the naturalization equality bill.
• Chicago JACL Participates in Civic Unity Conference, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Chicago JACL is among more than ninety organizations cooperating in a series of civic unity conferences organized by the Chicago Commission on Human Relations. The series includes weekly sessions and a plenary session on January 10, 1949.
• Mary Matsumoto Commissioned in Ministry at Chicago Ceremony, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Mary Matsumoto became the first Nisei Christian woman worker inducted into the Evangelical and Reformed church at a consecration service in Chicago. She will continue as program and nursery director of the Ellis community center.
• San Francisco Mayor Asks Two Nisei to Serve on Committee, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Dr. Carl T. Hirota and Fred Hoshiyama were among 36 residents invited by Mayor Elmer Robinson to serve on a Committee for Human Relations. The committee will advise on interracial and interethnic problems.
• Washington JACL Television Carnival Held, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Washington JACL held a television carnival night with a bazaar, floor show, and dancing at the YWCA. Proceeds were expected to fund the chapter’s participation in the presidential inaugural ceremonies.
• Benefit Dance Held in Cortez, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Many surrounding community members attended the Cortez Toone Young Buddhist club’s second annual benefit dance. A radio clock and pressure cooker were among the prizes awarded at the drawing.
• Two Stockton Nisei Don Army Khaki, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Shigezu Matsuda and John Tsuruta were among the first four Stockton men drafted under the new peacetime draft on Nov. 22. They were sent to Fort Ord for basic training.
• Honolulu Nisei Chooses Nisei as One of Drake Quax Beauties, by P.C. Staff, page 3. June Kagawa, a Drake University senior from Honolulu, was selected as one of six Quax Beauties by Fred Waring. She is also president of North Hall women’s dormitory and a member of several honorary societies.
• Higher Scales for Hawaiian Workers Predicted by Kawano, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Longshore union official Kazuo Kawano predicted pineapple workers in Hawaii would receive satisfactory wage increases following the Democratic election victory. He also expressed optimism about statehood and opposition to Governor Stainback.
• Discrimination Affecting Nisei Noted by Masaoka in Report to Civic Unity Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Pacific Coast JACL ADC director Jog Grant Masaoka reported to the California Federation for Civic Unity on discriminatory practices against Japanese Americans. The report cites housing, cemetery burial, the Alien Land law, and fishing license restrictions.
• Mass Burial Rites Will Be Held for Four Nisei Soldiers, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mass military burial rites will be held at Evergreen cemetery for four Nisei soldiers killed with the 442nd Combat Team. The remains of Lt. Kei Tanahashi, Pfc. Arthur Fukuoka, Pvt. Stanley Hayami, and Sgt. Paul Kimura were returned from Europe.
• Ellis Center Plans Holiday Program, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Ellis community center in Chicago announced a holiday schedule including a music program, children’s Christmas party, pageant, family Christmas program, and a New Year’s Eve party. The center will hold open house on Christmas day.
• Trailer Camp Families Find Housing Units, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Five families forced to leave the Harbor City trailer camp due to overcrowding have found private housing. Sam Ishikawa of JACL ADC arranged the placements after Los Angeles County initiated legal action.
• Japanese War Bride Visits Husband’s Relatives in Nevada, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mrs. Kimiko Kihara and her son arrived from Tokyo to visit relatives of Captain Ted Kihara in Winnemucca, Nevada. Captain Kihara, a military intelligence officer, was believed en route by ship to join them.
• Seeks 30,000 Christmas Trees for Hawaii, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Yetsuo Higa, a Honolulu trucking executive, came to Portland to buy 30,000 Christmas trees and other scarce goods for Hawaii’s holiday market. He said Hawaii needs 90,000 trees and that the recent direct airline service to the Northwest would help.
• Reburial Rites Postponed for Pvt. Utaka Koizumi, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Reburial services for Pvt. Utaka Koizumi at Golden Gate National Cemetery were postponed from Dec. 1 to Dec. 15 to allow his mother, who lives in the east, to attend.
• Two Nisei Among First Stockton Draftees, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Stockton draftees Shigezu Matsuda and John Tsuruta left for basic training at Fort Ord under the peacetime draft. The article notes they were among the first four local men inducted.
• Morioka Named Intermountain District Council Officers, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Ken Uchida continues as Intermountain JACL district chairman with a new cabinet including George Koyama and George Fujii. The convention also decided to publish a regional family directory next year.

Commentary

• Prejudice on the Campus, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial argues that exclusionary social fraternity membership clauses are anachronistic in a democracy and praises the Amherst chapter for pledging a Negro student. It notes the National Interfraternity Conference declined to remove racial and religious restrictions.
• Relief for the Japanese, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial urges readers to send CARE textile packages to Japan, which are now deliverable. It explains that CARE guarantees delivery and that the packages meet practical needs in war-devastated areas.
• Letter: Scholarship Assistance for Japanese Students, by George Kawaguchi, page 4. Kawaguchi, of the Shiga Military Government team, asks Japanese Americans to help finance transportation for Japanese scholarship winners to attend an Indiana college. He estimates the cost at about one thousand dollars per student.
• Prejudice in Vancouver: Young Akihide Otsuji Serves Time Because of His Ancestry, by Jack Scott, page 5. Reprinted from the Vancouver Sun, the column criticizes a Japanese Canadian man’s jailing for violating wartime restrictions barring Japanese Canadians from the coastal area. The writer argues the rules persist as political cowardice and compares them to racial discrimination in the American South.
• The Donation Solicitors: Hard Work in Precincts Makes ADC’s Program Possible, by Togo W. Tanaka, page 6. Tanaka describes the experience of canvassing door to door for the Chicago ADC’s fund drive and praises the volunteer donation solicitors. He notes the drive aims for about $12,000 to support Washington legislative work.
• Evacuation Claims Q&A, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A JACL ADC question-and-answer installment explains that evacuation claims must be filed directly with the Department of Justice. It also states that anticipated earnings and speculative losses are not recoverable under the law.

Sports

• Nisei Lack Height for Basketball, by Bill Hosokawa, page 6. Hosokawa observes that Nisei basketball teams lack the height and power of professional-caliber squads and cites a recent loss to the Oakland Bittners. He notes that a few tall, skilled players like Ted Ohashi are the exception.

JACL

• Intermountain JACL Approves $8,000 Goal for Fund Campaign, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Intermountain district convention in Pocatello approved an $8,000 budget for National JACL and pledged to raise it by January. Delegates also planned to contact new congressional representatives about the naturalization equality bill.
• Sacramento Group Plans Food Baskets for Aged Issei, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Members of the YWCA Puella Societa club in Sacramento will prepare food baskets with Japanese delicacies for Issei at the Sacramento home for the aged. The group is also selling Christmas cards for the World Reconstruction Fund.

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