Peace treaty and what it meant for Nisei in Japan and at home

Vol. 33, No. 11, September 22, 1951. 8 pages. View this issue

The signing of the Japanese peace treaty shaped the front page. Nisei GIs and Army civilians who served in the occupation of Japan were weighing a return to the United States, and many feared discriminatory hiring at home. Federal Judge J. Frank McLaughlin ruled that Congress cannot strip American-born citizens of their citizenship, a decision an editorial praised. Larry Tajiri wrote about English sections in Japanese vernacular newspapers, Roku Suyeshige about Nisei in foreign trade, and Elmer R. Smith about group morale.

Other pages followed evacuation claims, with word from the Justice Department, advice from the JACL, and meetings planned by chapters. Reports from Korea listed Nisei casualties. Local news ranged from scholarships and a Kids’ Day mayor in Ontario, Oregon, to a possible return of the name Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco. The sports pages covered Nisei football players, swimmers and boxers, with word of a national JACL bowling tournament in Denver.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• Japanese Americans in Japan Look Homeward as Peace Pact Means End of Occupation, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Nisei GIs and Department of Army Civilians who served in the occupation of Japan are considering returning to the United States now that the peace treaty has been signed. Many fear discriminatory employment practices at home, while others expect to remain in Japan or work for continuing U.S. agencies.
• Four More Nisei GIs Reported Hurt in Korean War, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Department of Defense reported four additional Nisei casualties in Korea, including wounded soldiers and an injured sergeant. Corporal George Doi also returned to duty after previously being wounded.
• Nisei Girl Wins Therapy Scholarship, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Helen Inouye, a 1950 University of Hawaii graduate, received a $1,000 scholarship from the Occupational Therapy Association of Hawaii. She plans to earn an occupational therapy diploma at Washington University.
• Son of Hawaii Senator Wins Top Sergeant Rank at 20, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Master Sgt. Owen Tsukiyama, 20, son of Hawaii territorial senate president Wilfred Tsukiyama, became one of the youngest first sergeants in the UN Army in Korea. He rose from recruit to master sergeant in 14 months of service.
• Seek Return of Properties Seized in War, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Rep. Walter Reams introduced a bill to return vested property to the estates of deceased persons whose American heirs were otherwise unjustly deprived under the Trading with the Enemy Act. The JACL ADC believes the bill may affect Nisei and Issei with insurance beneficiaries in Japan.
• Californian Dies in Battle North of Parallel 38, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Pfc. Ben Mitsuru Takamoto, 23, of the Mayhew district of Sacramento was killed in action in Korea on July 29, less than a month after returning to the front from wounds. He is survived by his parents and two brothers serving in the Army.
• Cite Army Officer for Work During War Crimes Trials, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Captain Fred F. Suzukawa of Compton, Calif., received a citation from the 40th Infantry Division for his work as a war crimes investigator in Japan after World War II. He later served in Korea with the 24th Division and was promoted to captain.
• Evelyn Kawamoto Enrolls at Hawaii U., by P.C. Staff, page 6. Evelyn Kawamoto, a three-time national women’s 300-meter individual medley champion, enrolled at the University of Hawaii after graduating from McKinley High School. She recently competed in Japan and set international records there.
• Government Will Pay Evacuee for Abandoned Property, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Department of Justice ruled that evacuation losses from destruction or constructive abandonment of property are compensable under the claims act. The ruling involved a Los Angeles couple who lost household items and a framed picture collection.
• Nisei Survivor of Hiroshima Now Serving in U.S. Army, by Harold F. Osborne, page 8. Pvt. Gene Fujita, 21, of Seattle survived the Hiroshima atomic bomb in 1945 along with his mother, who was injured while his father was killed. Fujita is now training as an Army medical aid man at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
• Navy Pilot Training Nears Completion, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Naval Aviation Cadet Harvey N. Kitaoka of Los Angeles is nearing graduation from advanced training at Corpus Christi, Texas. He recently completed aircraft carrier qualifications aboard the U.S.S. Monterey.

Community

• Chi Alpha Delts Announce Winner of Scholarship, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Nancy Aiko Ishizaki of Rockford, Ill., received the $75 Chi Alpha Delta Alumnae scholarship to attend UCLA this fall. She was selected for her grades, school activities and extracurricular record.
• Nisei Student Elected Mayor of Ontario, Oregon for National Kids’ Day, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Martin Hasegawa, an Ontario High School student, was elected mayor for a day as part of the Kiwanis-sponsored National Kids’ Day. Another Nisei student, Grace Shikuma, was elected city recorder.
• Aged Issei Killed in Highway Accident, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Tsunekichi Ohama, 84, of Acampo was struck and killed by a car while walking on Highway 99 near Lodi on September 16. Witnesses said he became confused by traffic while attempting to cross.
• Salt Lake Girl Enrolls at Utah Under Fellowship, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Jean Kimiye Hirano of Salt Lake City is one of 40 Ford Foundation scholarship holders who entered the University of Utah as freshmen after completing only their junior year of high school. The experiment tests whether gifted students can compress three years of learning into two.
• Tokyo Mayor Gives Film to National JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Tokyo Mayor Seiji Yasui presented the National JACL with a 16mm documentary sound film on post-war Japan. The film may be shown at the Pacific Southwest District Council convention in November.
• Chicago College Club Announces Winner of $200 Scholarship, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Thomas Tanabe, a June 1951 graduate of Oak Park High School, won the Chicago Nisei Inter-Collegiate Club’s $200 scholarship. He plans to pursue a pre-med course at the University of Illinois Chicago branch.
• San Francisco May Restore Japanese Tea Garden’s Name, by P.C. Staff, page 3. San Francisco’s Park Commission is considering restoring the name Japanese Tea Garden to the Golden Gate park attraction built by Makoto Hagiwara. The Hagiwara family has also filed a claim of about $200,000 for losses from their forced abandonment of the property.
• L.A. School District Drops Fight to Keep Hollywood Building, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Los Angeles City School District withdrew its petition to keep the former Hollywood Japanese language school building, which it had used since 1942. The building is expected to become a community center for Japanese Americans.
• Chairmen Named for Committees at PSDC Confab, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Ken Uyesugi, chairman of the second biennial Pacific Southwest District Council convention in Santa Ana, announced committee chairmen for the November event. The convention is hosted by the Orange County JACL.
• Thousand Texans Contribute $585 to JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Japanese Americans in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas contributed $585 to the JACL-ADC fund, boosting the regional total to $6,566. The contribution was forwarded by the Kika Kisei Domei of Rio Grande Valley.
• San Diego Chapter Fetes Issei Leaders, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The San Diego JACL chapter honored Issei leaders at a dinner meeting on September 15 with certificates from national director Masao Satow. Dr. George Hara was presented with a past president’s pin.
• Stockton Newspaper Recalls Million Dollar Comeback by Issei Potato King, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A Stockton Record series recalled how Issei potato grower George Shima recovered from a 1916 frost that destroyed his crop on Bacon Island. He secured credit in San Francisco, replanted within days, and harvested a bumper crop within 100 days that earned him about $1,000,000.
• Los Angeles Group to Hear Discussion of Claims Procedure, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Downtown JACL chapter in Los Angeles plans a luncheon meeting on September 27 where David McKibbin will explain the new compromise settlement forms. It is believed to be the first in a series of chapter meetings on the claims program.
• New York JACL Plans Symposium on Iconography, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The New York JACL chapter will hold an iconography symposium following its September 27 meeting. Artist Mac Oike and photographer Morton Strauss will discuss their respective art mediums.
• Alice Fujita Wins Oratorical Contest, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Alice Fujita of the United YBA of Maui won the Hawaii Federation of Young Buddhist Associations oratorical contest on the topic My Religion and My Country. Albert Matano and Sachie Tamekuni took second and third places.
• City of Denver Plans to Bar Race Covenants, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Denver Mayor Quigg Newton informed the Anti-Defamation League that restrictive racial covenants will be rendered inoperative in new areas within city limits. City rules for approving plats will be changed to prevent enforcement.
• Placer Chapter Makes Plans for Claimants’ Aid, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Placer JACL and Placer Evacuation Claims Committee are preparing trial sheets, Japanese translations, and legal assistance for local claimants filling out new compromise affidavit forms. Claimants should wait for announcements on the date services begin.
• Nisei Businessmen Start Construction of Lodi Market, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Three Nisei businessmen, Roy K. Nimura, Henry Yamada, and George Wakimoto, began construction on a $150,000 supermarket in Lodi. Nimura was previously involved in last year’s controversy over the sale of Salem school grounds.
• Wyoming Chapter Votes to Hold Quarterly Meetings, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Northern Wyoming JACL voted to hold meetings quarterly instead of monthly and to suspend summer activities because members live more than 200 miles apart. The chapter’s annual election was moved from April to January.

National

• Federal Judge Hits Validity of 1940 Nationality Act in Cases of War-Stranded Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Federal Judge J. Frank McLaughlin ruled that Congress cannot divest American-born citizens of their citizenship and restored citizenship to two Nisei who had served in or worked for the Japanese government. The ruling could affect some 5,000 Nisei in Japan whom the State Department considers to have lost citizenship.
• Alien Land Law Test Case Inspires House Resolution for U.S. Constitutional Amendment, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A California appellate court ruled the Alien Land Law unconstitutional under the UN Charter, prompting Rep. Gordon McDonough to propose a constitutional amendment guaranteeing that treaties cannot violate individual rights. The State Supreme Court has not yet ruled on the Fujii case.
• Masaoka Interview, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mike Masaoka’s discussion of the omnibus immigration and naturalization bill in Congress will be broadcast on KPFA. The interview was recorded during Masaoka’s visit to the Japanese Peace Treaty Conference.
• President Signs Private Bills for Japanese, by P.C. Staff, page 8. President Truman signed three private bills benefiting persons of Japanese ancestry, permitting several relatives to enter the United States for permanent residence and confirming a Japanese-born child as the alien child of American citizens. Two bills were sponsored by Senator Johnston and one by Senator Dirksen.

Incarceration & Redress

• Follow Instructions Carefully, Says JACL on Claims Forms, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee urged evacuation claimants to follow compromise settlement instructions carefully and complete their forms fully. The national JACL will provide specimen forms and Japanese translations through chapters.
• Justice Department Hopes New Compromise Plan May Speed Payment of Claims, by Edward H. Dickson, page 2. The Justice Department expects quick settlement of many smaller evacuation claims under a new compromise act, with about 13,915 claims totaling $15.3 million possibly acted on soon. The department believes total payouts may be around $50 million.
• Guatemala Ambassador Tells JACL Country Does Not Ban Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Guatemalan Ambassador told the JACL ADC that his country does not discriminate against American citizens of Japanese ancestry after a Nisei applicant was denied a tourist visa. He said the discriminatory provisions of the old Alien Law are obsolete under the 1945 Constitution.
• Denver Chamber Affirms Support of Hawaii Statehood, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Denver Chamber of Commerce reaffirmed its support of Hawaiian statehood after an official, E.W. Fishburn, opposed it. Rep. Wayne Aspinall had sent Fishburn copies of hearings refuting the charge of Japanese domination.

Arts & Entertainment

• Noted Xylophonist to Make U.S. Comeback in Concert, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Yoichi Hiraoka, once called the world’s greatest xylophonist, will make his first U.S. concert appearance since returning to America at the Wilshire-Ebell theater. He had been an NBC staff artist before Pearl Harbor and entertained American forces in Japan after the war.
• Ex-GI Movie Actor Plans Study of Music in Germany, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Harry H. Hamada, a 442nd veteran who appeared in several Hollywood films including Go for Broke!, left Honolulu to study music in Germany. He hopes to earn a doctorate in music and teach at a mainland college.

JACL

• Noted Poet Addresses Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Poet Edgar A. Guest addressed the JACL Midwest District Council convention in Detroit over Labor Day weekend. He spoke at the convention banquet on September 1.
• Attorneys May Obtain Forms from JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 2. National JACL headquarters will supply attorneys with extra evacuation claims compromise forms and Japanese translations for a nominal charge. Attorneys may request the exact number of forms needed from the Salt Lake City office.

Commentary

• Denver Editor Blasts Attack on Hawaii State, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Denver editor Gene Cervi criticized Chamber of Commerce official E.W. Fishburn for opposing Hawaiian statehood on the grounds of Japanese political domination. Cervi noted the Denver Chamber officially favors statehood for both Hawaii and Alaska.
• Editorial: The U.S. Nationality Act, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial praises Judge McLaughlin’s ruling that the Nationality Act is unconstitutional because Congress cannot strip citizenship from native-born Americans. It notes earlier court rulings relied on coercion while this ruling rests on the basic constitutional right to citizenship by birth.
• On Nisei Newspapers, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Larry Tajiri traces the development of English sections in Japanese vernacular newspapers from club news to full-fledged editorial sections. He profiles former Nisei editors and writers now working in various fields across the country.
• Nisei in Foreign Trade, by Roku Suyeshige, page 5. Roku Suyeshige describes how numerous Nisei opened import-export firms after the peace treaty but most failed due to defective goods, high duties, and competition from Japanese firms opening New York branches. He suggests only the most shrewd and well-connected traders will survive.
• Box-Score on Race Relations: Marginal Group Morale, by Elmer R. Smith, page 5. Elmer Smith examines the factors that sustain morale in minority groups, emphasizing clear goals, group accomplishments, individual contribution, and a sense of progress. He argues Nisei experience marginal morale as members of a racial minority in American society.

Sports

• Tsugawa Sees Action as Pioneers Lose, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Freshman Jimmy Tsugawa became the first Nisei college gridder to see action in a regularly scheduled mainland game this season as Lewis and Clark College lost to San Francisco State. Several other Nisei players across the West are noted in the college and high school ranks.
• Five Nisei Boxers Leave on Japan Tour, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A squad of ten Hawaiian amateur boxers, including five Nisei, flew to Japan for a return series of bouts against Japanese amateur champions. The junket completes the home-and-home series.
• Ohio State Eyes NCAA Swim Crown as Nisei Star Enrolls, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Ford Hiroshi Konno, national 800 and 1500-meter freestyle champion from Honolulu, enrolled at Ohio State University as a freshman. Ohio State also gained Yoshinobu Oyakawa, improving its chances in the Big Ten and NCAA championships.
• National JACL Bowling Meet to Start Feb. 29 in Denver, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The sixth annual National JACL bowling tournament will be held in Denver at Bowl-Mor Lanes and Recreation Alleys from February 29 through March 2. Teams and individuals from across the United States and Hawaii are expected to enter.

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