Renunciants, chapter installations and a call for JACL’s old-timers

Vol. 46, No. 4, January 24, 1958. 8 pages. View this issue

A new generation of leaders was taking over JACL, and the front-page editorial asked what role the prewar members who were stepping back could still play. Elsewhere on the front page, Yoshio Murakami, a Tule Lake renunciant, was finally admitted as a permanent resident after a five-year legal battle argued by A. L. Wirin and Fred Okrand. Vice President Richard Nixon spoke on the cost of racial prejudice in the labor force, and evacuation claims were moving toward a year-end deadline.

Inside this eight-page issue are columns by Bill Hosokawa, Larry S. Tajiri, Tamotsu Murayama and Mike Masaoka, who argued that Hawaii met every test for statehood. Chapter news fills pages 3 to 5, with installations in Sonoma County, Yellowstone, Detroit, Marysville and the Twin Cities, and a 30th anniversary planned in San Francisco. Page 6 covers swimming coach Soichi Sakamoto and the JACL bowling classic.

What’s in this issue

JACL

• Role and Place of JACL’s ‘Old-Timers’, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Recent visits to Midwest chapters show JACL is shifting to a new generation of leaders as prewar members retire from active roles. The editorial urges current leaders to find productive ways to use the experience of these ‘old-timers.’

National

• Renunciant’s Long Fight to Stay in U.S. Finally Won, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Yoshio Murakami, a Tule Lake renunciant from Los Angeles, was finally admitted as a permanent resident after a five-year legal battle. The case followed a Court of Appeals decision in the Abo case and was argued by attorneys A. L. Wirin and Fred Okrand.
• U.S. ‘Cannot Afford Moral, Economic, and International Cost’ of Racial Prejudice in Its Labor Force, Nixon Declares, by JACL News Service, page 1. Vice President Richard Nixon told a Minority Community Resources Conference in Washington that racial discrimination in hiring carries heavy costs for the nation. Labor Secretary James Mitchell added that the country must recruit ten million more workers by 1965.
• Tokyo Topics: Election Campaign, by Tamotsu Murayama, page 2. Murayama reports that Japan’s Diet may be dissolved in early 1958, setting up a costly general election expected to favor the Conservatives. He also notes growing Socialist and Communist strength and a contest over the Tokyo governorship.
• Smith Act Convictions of 7 Hawaiians Reversed, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Court of Appeals reversed the Smith Act convictions of seven Hawaii residents, including Charles K. Fujimoto and Koji Ariyoshi, following a Supreme Court ruling on California Communists. The decision applied the June 1957 precedent to the Hawaii defendants.
• Fair Employment Code in Wisconsin, by Harry K. Honda, page 5. Honda reports that Wisconsin amended its Fair Employment Code within three months of a 1957 state supreme court ruling so that individuals can enforce Industrial Commission orders in equity. He recommends the Vanderbilt Race Relations Law Reporter as a resource for JACL legal committees.
• Hawaii Statehood, by Mike Masaoka, page 8. Masaoka argues that Hawaii meets every criterion for statehood and that its denial harms U.S. standing among Asian and Pacific peoples. He reports that Alaska statehood appears likely to move first in Congress, with Hawaii to follow.

Community

• Sashimi Served at YWCA Fellowship Fete, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Pocatello’s World Fellowship Night dinner at the YWCA featured foreign dishes prepared by local residents, including sashimi by Mrs. Bill Yamauchi. Mrs. Mike Yamada contributed pizza, and both women are active in the Pocatello JACL.
• Compromise Settlements to Be Cleared by End of Year, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Certified mail notices setting 20 to 30 day deadlines have sped up evacuation claims processing, according to local attorneys. The Justice Department aims to complete the administrative phase of the claims program by the end of 1958.
• Four Generations of the Togasaki Family Gathered in Tokyo, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Four generations of the Togasaki family gathered in Tokyo on New Year’s Day 1958, including 92-year-old pioneer Kikumatsu Togasaki. The photo caption notes the family’s ongoing public and professional activities in Japan.
• Fresno State Collegian Elected CINO Head, to Continue Campus Integration Stand, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Fred Kubota of Fresno State was installed as state president of the California Intercollegiate Nisei Organization at its convention on the UCLA campus. Dr. Gordon Warner urged members to integrate fully into campus life while preserving Japanese culture.
• Nisei Cultural Arts Group Organized in Southland, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Chishin-Kai, a new Nisei cultural group focused on Oriental arts, held its first public meeting at the Japanese Arts & Cultural Center in Los Angeles. The group plans monthly lectures and demonstrations.
• East Los Angeles JACL Seeks 10th Year as Chapter Winner, by P.C. Staff, page 3. East Los Angeles JACL, the 1956 Chapter of the Year, is aiming for another banner year in its 10th anniversary season. Chapter president Roy Yamadera outlined plans for youth programs, Issei activities, and Brotherhood Week participation.
• Sonoma County Installs Frank Oda as Chapter Leader, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Frank Oda was installed as Sonoma County JACL president at a potluck dinner attended by national director Masao Satow. Community service awards were presented to Mrs. Florence Kawaoka and others for their PTA and civic work.
• Blind Poultryman Installed President of Yellowstone JACL at Hilarious Affair, by Mary Hikida, page 4. Tommy Miyasaki, a blind Nisei poultryman, was installed as Yellowstone JACL president at a dinner in St. Anthony, Idaho. The evening ended with humorous impromptu performances and games.
• Joint Installation Dinner-Dance Ready for Detroit Chapter and JACL Teens, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Detroit JACL chapter and Detroit JACL Teens will hold a joint installation dinner-dance on Feb. 8 at the Northwood Inn. Charles Yata will be installed as chapter president and Judge Wade H. McCree Jr. will speak.
• Marysville Chapter Installation Feb. 1, by P.C. Staff, page 4. George Okamoto and his Marysville JACL cabinet will be installed at a dinner in Yuba City on Feb. 1, with national director Masao Satow as principal speaker. Reservations are $3 per plate.
• Kido Main Speaker at San Francisco’s 30th Anniversary, by P.C. Staff, page 5. San Francisco JACL will celebrate its 30th anniversary on Feb. 2 at the House of Lawton with Saburo Kido, its first president, as main speaker. Invitations have gone to past chapter presidents and community leaders.
• NC-WNDC Quarterly to Feature Talk on Mental Health, Bias, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Earl Raab, president of the California Association for Mental Health, will lead a discussion on mental health and prejudice at the NC-WNDC quarterly meeting on Feb. 2. The day includes a business session, registration, a banquet, and a dance.
• Boys Town Psychologist Addresses Twin Cities JACL Installation, by Andrew Sato, page 5. Patrick Okura, staff psychologist at Boys Town, Nebraska, spoke at the Twin Cities JACL installation banquet for 1958 officers. He described Boys Town’s vocational and college preparatory programs for underprivileged youth.
• Snake River Valley JACL Bazaar Promises Food and Fun, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Snake River Valley JACL will hold its all-day bazaar at the Japanese Community Hall near Ontario, featuring American and Oriental dishes, games, and booths. Committee members have prepared a full schedule of food, prizes, and entertainment.
• Twin Cities Center Chairman Elected, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Frank Fujimoto was unanimously elected chairman of the 1958 board of management for the Japanese American Center in Minneapolis. The center is leased to the Episcopal Diocese.
• National JACL Credit Union Announces 5 1/2 Percent Dividend, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Shigeki Ushio announced a 5 1/2 percent dividend for 1957 for the National JACL Credit Union, which reported growing membership and expanded services. The annual meeting is set for Jan. 29 in Salt Lake City.
• Los Angeles Newsletter: Chapter Clinic, by Henry Motonaga, page 7. The Pacific Southwest District Council’s sixth annual chapter clinic will be held in Long Beach on Feb. 9, with chapter presidents receiving training and the Chapter of the Year award presented. The column also notes the importance of effective publicity chairmen in chapters.

Military & Veterans

• Pediatrician Named for South Pacific AEC Six-Week Study, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Dr. Wataru Sutow, a University of Utah medical school graduate, was appointed to conduct a six-week pediatric study in the South Pacific for the Atomic Energy Commission. His earlier work included research on the effects of the Hiroshima blast on mothers and children.

Commentary

• What Makes Klansman Run?, by Bill Hosokawa, page 2. Hosokawa describes how Lumbee Indians in Maxton, N.C., confronted a Ku Klux Klan rally by firing shots and dispersing the Klansmen. He ends by noting that Nisei have built strong seniority and proven their work value, making them less likely to be first fired.
• Letters: Allan Beekman on Hisaye Yamamoto; ‘This Is Your Life’; U.S.-Japan Affairs, by Allan Beekman; A Reader; P.C. Staff, page 2. A letter praises Hisaye Yamamoto as the best Nisei fiction author and recalls her story ‘Yoneko’s Earthquake.’ Other letters ask whether the Mike Masaoka ‘This Is Your Life’ episode will be rebroadcast and urge JACL members to bring concrete proposals to the Japan-American affairs debate before the national convention.
• Newest Leading Lady: Michi Kobi, by Larry S. Tajiri, page 3. Tajiri profiles actress Michi Kobi, Hollywood’s newest leading lady of Japanese ancestry, who starred in ‘Dateline Tokyo’ and later had a role in a planned film about the wartime evacuation. He also surveys other Japanese and Nisei actresses working in Hollywood.

Sports

• Coach Soichi Sakamoto Honored with First Sportsman of Year Award in Hawaii, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Swim coach Soichi Sakamoto of the University of Hawaii and Hawaii Swim Club received the first Vernon (Red) McQueen Sportsman of the Year award. He has coached numerous national AAU champions and Olympic swimmers since 1928.
• Bowling Tournament Aids Chapter in Membership Drive, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Gilroy JACL handicap bowling tournament, held in conjunction with the 1958 membership drive, was won by the Gilroy Labor Farms team. Individual winners were also named in several series and game categories.
• JACL Keg Classic Entry Deadline Set, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Teams in the 12th annual National JACL bowling championships were reminded of the Feb. 3 entry deadline. The tournament runs March 4-8 with events including doubles, team, and singles competitions.

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