Vol. 34, No. 5, February 2, 1952. 8 pages. View this issue
A bill to open naturalization and immigration quotas to Japan led the news in early 1952. The Senate Judiciary Committee favorably reported the McCarran Omnibus Immigration and Naturalization Bill, which the JACL ADC supported, and the paper laid out the steps still ahead before a Senate floor debate. Evacuation claims ran through the issue too: the Field Foundation gave $2500 for JACL claims work, the Justice Department asked for $15 million, and two Honolulu men became the first in Hawaii to be paid. The Supreme Court also sent the Kaku Nagano case back to a lower court.
Elsewhere, several stories followed Nisei soldiers in Korea, including a Distinguished Cross for Pfc. Arthur I. Okamura and a Silver Star for Sgt. Warren T. Nishihara, who was missing in action. Elmer R. Smith wrote on how televised wrestling villains shape impressions of Japanese Americans, and Bill and Mary Kochiyama answered a call for pen pals for servicemen. Chapter news came from Salt Lake and Idaho Falls.
What’s in this issue
National
- Senate Judiciary Committee Favorably Reports Omnibus Immigration Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Senate Judiciary Committee favorably reported the McCarran Omnibus Immigration and Naturalization Bill, which the JACL ADC supported. Next steps include Democratic Policy Committee approval for Senate floor debate and House Rules Committee action.
- Two Hawaiian Evacuees Get Claims Checks, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Joseph Masakara and Jack Taigoro Miyahara of Honolulu became the first persons of Japanese ancestry in Hawaii to be paid evacuation claims. The payments were made under the 1948 law compensating losses from the 1942 evacuation.
- Justice Department Asks $15 Millions for Claims, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Justice Department requested supplemental appropriations of $15 million to pay all compromise evacuation claims by the end of 1952. JACL ADC officials urged claimants to submit compromise offers by the March 15 deadline or the funds may revert to the Treasury.
- Favorable Report Given 13 Private Bills, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The House Judiciary Committee favorably reported 13 private bills for relief of persons of Japanese ancestry, including adoption and marriage admissions. Ten had passed the Senate and await House concurrence.
Incarceration & Redress
- Field Foundation Gives $2500 for JACL’s Work on Claims, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Field Foundation granted $2500 to the National JACL to support evacuation claims research and legal aid. The JACL will continue work on unresolved claims questions and assist claimants.
- Supreme Court Sends Nagano Case Back to Lower Court, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Supreme Court ruled in three alien property cases, including a remand of the Kaku Nagano case for further hearings on her property claims. The decisions may affect Japanese aliens whose property was vested by the Office of Alien Property during the war.
Community
- Resettlers Praise Illinois FEP Act, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Chicago Resettlers Committee endorsed an Illinois order barring discrimination in state employment services. The order followed findings that 75 percent of job orders in Chicago were discriminatory in 1950.
- Salt Lake Chapter Draws 100 Persons to First Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Nearly 100 people attended the Salt Lake JACL’s first 1952 meeting featuring a talk by Winifred Hazen on family life. Entertainment and travel slides from Japan were also presented.
- Mountain Plains JACL Calls District Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Roy M. Takeno issued a call for a Mountain Plains regional council session in Denver on March 1, coinciding with the national bowling tournament. Several chapters are expected to send delegates.
- Idaho Falls JACL Raises $1500 in Annual Carnival, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Idaho Falls JACL netted $1500 at its annual carnival attended by more than 600 persons. Local merchants donated over $1000 in merchandise and the event featured food and games.
- Two Seattle Nisei Soldiers Return With Families, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Warrant Officer Paul J. H. Ito and Staff Sgt. Yoshio Asada returned to Seattle with their wives and sons from overseas service. Both had served extended periods in the Far East.
Military & Veterans
- Final Burial Given Oregon Nisei Soldier, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Pfc. Kenneth Kondo of Boring, Oregon, a Korean War casualty, was buried at Willamette National Cemetery after services sponsored by VFW Post 4032. He had been evacuated in 1942 and served with the 1st Cavalry Division.
- High Military Honor Given Nisei GI Killed in Korea, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Pfc. Arthur I. Okamura of Honolulu was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Cross for heroism in clearing mines in Korea, and Cpl. Wilbert Y. Miyasato received a Silver Star. Okamura was mortally wounded when a mine detonated during his work.
- Col. Tsukamoto Given Bronze Star for Korea Duty, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Lt. Col. Walter T. Tsukamoto of Berkeley received the Bronze Star for his service in Korea. He is a past national JACL president and a former Sacramento attorney.
- Missing Nisei Soldier Wins Silver Star, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Henry S. Nishihara received the Silver Star on behalf of his son Sgt. Warren T. Nishihara, reported missing in action in Korea. Former Sgt. Yoshikazu Kinoshita also received a Commendation Ribbon.
Commentary
- Mail Wanted, page 4. A soldier stationed at Camp Carson requested letters from correspondents in response to a column about lonely girls. The letter-writing feature connected servicemen with pen pals.
- In Reply, by Bill and Mary Kochiyama, page 4. The Nisei Service Organization advisers responded to the seven lonely girls, offering to connect them with overseas servicemen seeking correspondence. They stressed that letters are a top morale priority for GIs.
- Holiday Edition, by Stewart G. Cole, page 4. Stewart Cole of the National Conference of Christians and Jews praised the holiday issue and the newspaper’s coverage of Japanese American rights. He commended its promotion of loyalty to democratic American values.
- Wrestling Villains Create Negative Impressions, by Elmer R. Smith, page 5. Elmer Smith argues that the ‘bad boy’ Japanese characters in televised wrestling, such as Togo and Moto, foster negative stereotypes of Japanese Americans. He notes that positive Nisei achievements in other sports receive far less public attention.
Arts & Entertainment
- Mitsu Yashima’s Article Tells of Life in America, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Mitsu Yashima’s article in Glamour describes the kindness of neighbors who helped the Yashima family after Pearl Harbor. The story highlights the warmth of the community and its effect on her artistic work.
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