Evacuation claims deadline and a JACL leader’s death, January 1950

Vol. 30, No. 1, January 7, 1950. 8 pages. View this issue

The Jan. 3 deadline for evacuation claims was the news of this 8-page issue. The Department of Justice estimated between 20,000 and 21,000 claims were filed, and the first claim, of about $300, has been paid. Mike Masaoka outlined how the JACL ADC planned to speed up the adjudication that follows, and his piece on the Walter Resolution said passage could come in 1950. The front page also reported the deaths of JACL leader John Kurachi and Nantaro Sakata in a car crash near Holbrook, Arizona.

Other pages carry the JACL ADC’s 1950 legislative program, a letter to Senator O’Mahoney on Indian policy, and the 1949 year-in-review editorial. Albert Saijo wrote on “The Nisei as American,” Mitsu Yasuda on war orphans in Japan, and Bill Hosokawa on Denver winters. Chapter news covers new officers in Salt Lake, Ventura County and Fort Lupton. Sports include Wally Yonamine’s tryout with the San Francisco Seals.

What’s in this issue

Community

• Two Colorado Men Killed in Arizona Crash, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Two Brighton, Colorado men, including JACL leader John Kurachi, died in a car crash into a parked truck near Holbrook, Arizona on Dec. 29. A third man was seriously injured while returning from Los Angeles where they had seen off Kurachi’s mother to Japan.
• Proceeds from School Sale Given to JACL Group in San Jose, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A check for $529.38 from the sale of the Alviso Japanese school property was presented to the United Citizens League in San Jose. The league will use the funds for welfare work among persons of Japanese ancestry in the valley.
• Tatsumis Arrive in U.S. With Consul General Ward’s Party, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Shiro Tatsumi, a California-born Nisei who worked for the U.S. consulate in Mukden, returned to San Francisco with his family after imprisonment there. He had run an auto repair business in Mukden for years before the war’s end and the Chinese Nationalist return.
• Sugihara Baby Wins Weber County Stork Derby, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Deinie LeAnne Sugihara was the first Weber County baby of 1950, born at St. Benedict’s hospital in Ogden on Jan. 1. She won merchant prizes in the annual stork derby.
• First Nisei Maryknoll Priest Teaches in Japanese Villages, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Father James S. Tokuhisa, Maryknoll’s first Nisei priest, works in Kyoto teaching in surrounding villages and assisting relief work. He also cares for patients at Furitsu Hospital including lepers.
• Coachella Valley JACL Holds Annual Christmas Party, by P.C. Staff, page 2. More than 200 children and adults attended the Coachella Valley JACL Christmas party at Oasis Gakuen on Dec. 23. Gifts and fruit were distributed, with Santa Claus played by H. Nagata.
• Second Anniversary of Ellis Community Center to Be Observed, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Ellis Community Center in Chicago will mark its second anniversary on Feb. 12 with open houses, exhibits, and a choir concert. The center was founded in 1948 to serve the social and recreational needs of the Japanese American community on Chicago’s southside.
• Race Relations in Territory Improve Since End of War, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 5. Lawrence Nakatsuka argues that race relations in Hawaii have steadily improved since World War II, with Nisei advancing economically, socially, and politically. He acknowledges unemployment challenges but says they affect all groups rather than being racial.
• Chicago Newsreel, by Jobo Nakamura, page 5. Jobo Nakamura offers a column of Chicago street scenes, local personalities, and community notes including Nisei professionals, a judo story, and the Resettlers’ Committee’s support for Nisei clubs. Items include Nisei employment and a Chicago camera club.
• Mt. Olympus JACL Holds Parents Night, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Mt. Olympus JACL held a Parents’ Appreciation night at the Avalon ballroom in Murray, Utah on Dec. 30. The program featured musical and dance performances by chapter members.
• Tokyo Rose To Write Life Story in Prison, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Iva Toguri d’Aquino, the wartime Tokyo Rose sentenced to 10 years for treason, plans to write her life story while in prison, her attorney Wayne Collins disclosed. She is also learning handicraft in the training shops at Alderson women’s prison.

JACL

• Sho Endow Elected New President of Mid-Columbia JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sho Endow Jr. was elected president of the Mid-Columbia JACL chapter at its December meeting, with other officers and board members also named. The new cabinet includes Nob Hasegawa as vice president and Koe Nishimoto and Toru Hasegawa elected to the hall board.
• Install Toby Otani as President of Ventura Chapter, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Toby Otani and his cabinet were installed as officers of the Ventura County JACL chapter at a dinner in Oxnard on Dec. 28. Speakers included Tats Kushida, Southwest JACL regional director, and local clergy.
• JACL Seeks Review of Indian Policy, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee wrote to Senator O’Mahoney protesting federal acquisition of Fort Berthold Indian lands for the Garrison dam project. The letter urged a full-scale review of national Indian policy modeled on the President’s Committee on Civil Rights.
• Seek Ouster of Canadian School Board, by P.C. Staff, page 3. 150 residents of the St. George, Ontario school district demanded the resignation of school board members after the dismissal of Nisei teacher Richard Takimoto. Students struck in protest and a speaker said Takimoto was dismissed simply for not being cooperative.
• Chicago’s JACL Credit Union Plans General Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Chicago JACL credit union will hold its third annual general meeting on Jan. 20 at Forrest’s restaurant. The agenda includes board elections, committee reports, and entertainment.
• JACL Prepares for Role in Third Phase of Evacuee Claims Compensation Program, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mike Masaoka outlined the JACL ADC’s plans to expedite adjudication of evacuation claims after the Jan. 3 filing deadline. Plans include retaining attorney Edward Ennis to study the program, adding field offices, and considering amendments to the law.
• National JACL Affiliates With Conference on Alien Legislation, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The JACL joined the Joint Conference on Alien Legislation, a New York-based coalition of national organizations promoting liberal immigration and naturalization reform. National president Hito Okada called the invitation a sign of the JACL’s growing stature.
• Mochizuki to Head Salt Lake Chapter, by P.C. Staff, page 7. George S. Mochizuki was installed as president of the Salt Lake JACL for 1950 at the chapter’s New Year dinner dance. Other officers were named for vice president, treasurer, and secretary positions.
• Dr. Uyemura Named New President of Fort Lupton JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Dr. Serge Uyemura was elected president of the Fort Lupton JACL, the oldest chapter in the Mountain Plains region. The chapter also presented gold JACL pins to its five past presidents at a dinner.

Incarceration & Redress

• Estimate Near 21,000 Claims Filed by Japanese Americans for Losses from Evacuation, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Department of Justice estimated between 20,000 and 21,000 evacuation claims were filed before the Jan. 3 deadline. Mike Masaoka and Edward Ennis of the JACL ADC office filed claims received until midnight, and the first claim of about $300 has been paid.
• Issei Pioneer Dies at Palo Alto Home, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Tagayasu Murata, an Issei pioneer in California for 60 years, died at age 83 at his son’s Palo Alto home. He had founded the Nippon Goldfish company in 1911 after importing Japanese goldfish.

Commentary

• Tax Refuser Greeted by Friends Upon Release from U.S. Prison, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Katsuki James Otsuka was released from federal prison in Ashland, Kentucky after serving time for refusing to pay the portion of his income tax tied to military purposes. Friends and peace activists greeted him with posters and a dinner in his honor.
• The Nisei as American, by Albert Saijo, page 4. The essay argues that Nisei identity has been shaped by an ambiguity between a Japanese quality and an American attitude, which intensified under incarceration and wartime pressures. The author contends that Nisei remain culturally American but continue to face discrimination based on their race.
• A Year of Social Progress, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial reviews 1949 as a banner year for civil rights, citing the Judd bill and Walter resolution near passage and first evacuation claims payments. It also notes state fair employment laws and federal moves toward ending racial discrimination in the armed forces and housing.
• The Inadequacies of Men’s Wear, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa humorously describes how standard men’s hats and overcoats fail to protect the ears during Denver’s subzero cold. He notes that fur headgear with ear flaps worn by Russians and marines would be more practical.

National

• Clarify Effect of Japan Land Reform Laws on U.S. Owners, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL ADC released a SCAP letter explaining how Japan’s Land Reform law affects agricultural land owned by absentee landlords, including persons with dual nationality. The letter also notes that land owned by nationals of certain nations without Japanese nationality is currently exempt.
• Congress End U.S. Bias in Naturalization Laws During 1950 Session, Says Masaoka, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Mike Masaoka said passage of the Walter Resolution, which would remove race as a bar to naturalization, could come during the 1950 session. He noted it passed the House unanimously in 1949 but stalled in the Senate due to an objection from Senator Russell.

Arts & Entertainment

• Margaret Kikuchi Tells Role in Television Interview, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Margaret Kikuchi of the Southwest Los Angeles JACL chapter explained JACL’s role and the wartime loyalty of Japanese Americans on KTLA television. The program was arranged at Holiday magazine’s request and included dance and koto performances.

Military & Veterans

• JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee Sets 1950 Legislative Objectives, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The JACL ADC’s 1950 legislative program led by the Walter resolution and Judd bill was announced for the second session of the 81st Congress. The program also includes evacuation claims appropriations, non-quota immigration bills for spouses of veterans, and fair employment legislation.
• A Nisei Girl in Japan: The War Orphans, by Mitsu Yasuda, page 5. Mitsu Yasuda recounts her years as a U.S. government employee in postwar Japan, including the story of Mike, a war orphan adopted by soldiers who was later sent to a juvenile home. She also describes the work habits and attitudes toward time she observed among Japanese office workers.
• Compare Nisei Physiques With Japan Nationals, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Physical examinations of Americans of Japanese ancestry employed by occupation forces in Japan were conducted to compare them with Japanese nationals. Col. Harry G. Johnson said the Nisei were expected to be larger and stronger due to diet and environment.

Sports

• Nisei Will Lead Garden Grove School Eleven, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Tak Matsunaga, a 160-pound guard, was named captain of the 1950 Garden Grove high school football team. He had earned second-team all-Orange County league honors in the past two seasons.
• Seattle Plans Annual Nisei Bowling Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The fourth annual Northwest Nisei Bowling Classic will be held at Main Bowl in Seattle from Jan. 27 to 29 with teams expected from California and the Intermountain area. Cash prizes totaling $1,750 plus trophies will be awarded.
• Wally Yonamine Will Receive Spring Tryout as Outfielder With San Francisco Seals, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Wally Yonamine, a former football halfback who played for the 49ers and Honolulu Warriors, will get a spring tryout with the San Francisco Seals. He batted .435 for the Honolulu Athletics in 1949 and is considered the top Nisei baseball prospect from Hawaii.
• Hawaiians Will Enter Utah Cage Tourney, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Hawaii AJA All-Stars, defending champions, are expected to compete in the 15th annual Intermountain Nisei invitational basketball tournament March 23 to 25 in Salt Lake City. Top Nisei teams from several western states are expected to enter.

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