Nisei renunciants, evacuation claims and Nisei casualties in Korea

Vol. 33, No. 15, October 20, 1951. 8 pages. View this issue

Two subjects ran through this eight-page issue. The Justice Department told the Washington Office of the JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee that it would not ask immediate deportation of Nisei renunciants after the Supreme Court decision, since renunciation of citizenship is not grounds for deportation. Evacuation claims were also in the news: Congress approved $725,000 for payment of awards, and about 900 compromise offers had come in from claimants. The front page also reported twenty-three more Nisei casualties in Korea, mostly from Hawaii, with the body of Cpl. Archie M. Uno returned for interment.

Elsewhere, JACL president Dr. Randolph Sakada urged observance of Nisei Soldier Memorial Day on Oct. 30. Dore Schary and Robert Pirosh were to receive citations for the film Go for Broke! Columns by Larry Tajiri, Bill Hosokawa and Elmer R. Smith fill page 5, and the sports page follows Benny Aoki and Wally Yonamine.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• Twenty-Three More Nisei Casualties, Mostly from Hawaii, Reported by Defense Department, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Department of Defense reported twenty-three additional Nisei casualties in Korea, most from Hawaii, and announced the return of Cpl. Archie M. Uno’s body for interment. Seattle services for Pfc. Masao Ikeda, re-interred after being missing since WWII, were also held.
• Five Hawaii Nisei Riflemen Fight Together in Korea War, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Five Hawaii Nisei privates in the 2nd squad of the 5th Regimental Combat Team fought together in Korea after training and processing as a group. The soldiers, who attended McKinley High School together, requested to stay in the same unit.
• Nisei Soldier Killed in Utah Auto Collision, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Master Sgt. Tetsuji Seki, a Nisei veteran of Korea who escaped Chinese captivity, died after an auto accident in Utah. Corp. Saburo Shimomura, also a former POW, was injured in the same crash.
• Exploits of Ikeda’s Raiders in Korea Recalled at Rites, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Corp. Homer K. Kuhns, who led the way for the Hawaiian 5th Regimental Combat Team, was buried in the Honolulu National Memorial Cemetery. His commander, Lt. Herbert Ikeda, described his bravery in a letter to Kuhns’ sister.
• Hawaiian Veterans to Give Scholarship to Minnesotan, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Nisei veterans of Hawaii raised $750 for a scholarship bringing a University of Minnesota student to attend the University of Hawaii. The fund honors the friendly treatment Hawaiian Nisei soldiers received while training at Fort Snelling and Camp Savage.
• Hawaii Mother Hopes Son Is Prisoner of War in China, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Mrs. Hanako Kojima of Hilo believes her son Pvt. Robert Y. Kojima, reported missing in Korea, may be alive in a Chinese Communist prison camp. She received a letter purportedly from him, though conflicting Defense Department reports had listed him as died of wounds.

Incarceration & Redress

• Justice Department Will Not Ask Immediate Deportation of Wartime Renunciant Group, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Justice Department stated that renunciation of citizenship is not grounds for deportation and that no immediate proceedings will target Nisei renunciants following the Supreme Court decision. Only 302 renunciants remain subject to removal orders, and those cases are under review.
• Compromise Settlement Made on Colorado Claims Case, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Denver evacuation claim filed by attorney Toshio Ando was settled by the Justice Department through a three-fourths compromise offer. The JACL-ADC noted that counter-offers remain possible and that claimants should review settlements carefully.

Community

• Invite Shigeta to Show Photos at Smithsonian, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Chicago Issei photographer Harry S. Shigeta was invited to stage a one-man show at the Smithsonian Institution. His work is also being exhibited in Tokyo and he received the Peabody award.
• Police Disallow Nisei Bride’s Charge of Mexico Kidnaping, by P.C. Staff, page 1. San Francisco police declined to accept a kidnaping complaint filed by Nisei bride Helen Inouye against John Leary, though a battery complaint was filed. Inouye alleged Leary forced her to Tijuana to marry him.
• Congress Approves $725,000 Allotment for Payment of Wartime Evacuation Claims, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Congress approved $725,000 for evacuation claims within the Department of Justice appropriation for fiscal 1952. Mike Masaoka said pending awards will soon be paid by the Treasury.
• Issei Named Grand Marshal of Annual Fowler Fall Festival, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Yakichi Honda, an Issei who has lived in Fowler since 1908, was named grand marshal of the Fowler Fall Festival parade. The Hondas have lived continuously in the area except for World War II relocation.
• JACL’s Activities Told at Discussion of Race Relations, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Haruo Ishimaru described JACL activities at a Redwood City conference on race relations in crisis. He argued minority problems are part of the broader evolution of American democracy.
• Congress Approves Allotment for Evacuation Claims, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Congress approved a Justice Department appropriation including funds for evacuation claims and the Office of Alien Property. Passage was expected to speed payment of awards.
• Support Given Bill to Give Evacuee Federal Workers Time Lost During Mass Evacuation, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Civil Service Commission endorsed H.R. 5014, which would credit Federal employes of Japanese ancestry for time lost due to evacuation. The bill would affect salary advancement and appointment credit for several hundred West Coast Nisei.
• Dinner Dance Opens Fall Activity for Fresno Chapter, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Fresno JACL chapter began its fall calendar with a dinner dance featuring a report on evacuation claims and a visit from Japanese Diet member Tsuruyo Tsutsumi. Upcoming events include an agriculture night, a luncheon, and the district council convention.
• Star Coffee Shop & Pool Hall Note, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A Salt Lake City Sonenkai bingo night was announced with prizes and refreshments. Tickets were sold by members.

National

• National Observance of Nisei Soldier Memorial Day Urged, by P.C. Staff, page 2. JACL president Dr. Randolph Sakada urged nationwide observance of Nisei Soldier Memorial Day on Oct. 30, with special tribute to Nisei fighting in Korea. Masao Satow outlined local services honoring all Nisei GIs of World War II.
• California Conference Urges Extension of State Pension Program to Include Issei, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Governor’s Conference on the Problems of the Aging recommended removing the citizenship requirement for state old age assistance, a proposal presented by JACL regional director Haruo Ishimaru. Ishimaru argued Issei aliens should not be denied aid by accident of birthplace.
• Ninety-Thousand Compromise Offers Received From Evacuation Claimants, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Justice Department received 900 compromise offers from evacuation claimants under its new settlement program in the first weeks. JACL-ADC officials reported progress and urged liberal treatment of crop claims for evacuated farmers.
• Senate Passes Eleven Private Bills, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Senate passed eleven private bills benefiting alien Japanese, including admissions for fiancees, adopted children, and wives of American citizens. The bills were sent to the House or the President for approval.
• House Judiciary Subcommittee Gives Unanimous Approval to Omnibus Naturalization Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Naturalization approved the Walter omnibus immigration bill, which includes equality in naturalization endorsed by JACL-ADC. Full committee action was expected next session.
• House Action Means Stays for 23 Japanese, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The House approved suspension of deportation proceedings for 23 alien Japanese previously cleared by the Senate. Their status will change to permanent residents under the 1948 JACL-ADC sponsored law.

Arts & Entertainment

• Schary, Pirosh Win Citations for 442nd Film, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Producer Dore Schary and writer-director Robert Pirosh will receive human relations awards for the film Go for Broke! at the Los Angeles County Conference on Community Relations. The film chronicles the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.
• Tape Interview With Dancers for Voice of America, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Dancers Michiko Amemiya and Michiko Maseri, stars of The King and I, were interviewed in Japanese for the Voice of America at a New York JACL reception. They discussed dance technique and Japanese dance culture.
• Denver JACL Group to Aid Bowling Plans, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Denver JACL cabinet offered assistance to the Denver Nisei Bowling League as host of the 1952 National JACL Bowling Tournament. Dr. George Kubo was named liaison for the chapter.

Commentary

• The Issei and Pensions, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial argues that California’s old age assistance law unjustly excludes Issei who cannot obtain citizenship, leaving aged, impoverished immigrants without state aid. It calls for immediate legislative relief because these individuals cannot wait for naturalization law changes.
• A Day to Remember, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial reflects on United Nations Day amid the Korean conflict, noting the casualties suffered by Nisei soldiers in UN service. It argues the Korean struggle is the first test of the UN’s collective security concept.
• Nisei Visitors in Japan, by Larry Tajiri, page 5. Larry Tajiri examines Roku Sugahara’s columns on Nisei and Japanese visitors, tracing how Nisei fared in prewar and postwar Japan. He concludes the experiences shaped perceptions of Nisei social status and may have helped temper future visitor conduct.
• Mike Hosokawa column on allowance and earning money, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa describes his eleven-year-old son Mike learning the value of money through lawn mowing and later baby-sitting. The column humorously illustrates lessons about labor and earnings.
• Intergroup Contacts Do Not Always Result in Tension, by Elmer R. Smith, page 5. Elmer Smith argues that cultural and racial contacts do not inevitably produce conflict, citing the Tungus and Cossack relationship on the Manchurian border. He identifies economic, competitive, and external factors that promoted cooperation.
• About Nisei Writers, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A writer reflects on the long-discussed Great Nisei Novel and why few Nisei have completed one, citing financial and time constraints. The piece offers practical advice to aspiring fiction writers on craft, discipline, and perseverance.

Sports

• Aoki Runs Wild Again for Long Beach, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Benny Aoki scored three touchdowns and converted six extra points as Long Beach Junior College routed San Diego JC. Other Nisei players, including Ralph Kubota and Dick Karasawa, also contributed to their teams’ games that week.
• Wally Yonamine Hits Home as Giants Win Series, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Wally Yonamine hit an eighth-inning home run to help the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants sweep the Pacific League champions in a five-game series. It was his first season playing in Japanese professional baseball.
• Denver Chapter May Sponsor Cage Loop Again This Year, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Denver JACL cabinet voted to offer administrative support for another winter Nisei basketball league season. It emphasized that responsibilities and understandings should be clarified before league play begins.

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