Japan trip cancelled, and the Issei Story fund drive

Vol. 52, No. 19, May 12, 1961. 4 pages. View this issue

A four-page issue led with Mike M. Masaoka’s Washington Newsletter on the cancelled Eisenhower trip to Japan. Masaoka wrote that the State Department advised the former President to call off his autumn visit after anti-American demonstrations, and he argued that most Japanese people prefer close ties with the United States. The front page also reported on the Pacific Southwest District Council convention in Los Angeles, where Masaoka gave the main address, and on plans to raise $100,000 for the Issei Story project, led by Shig Wakamatsu with research directed by Dr. T. Scott Miyakawa.

Also inside: former Rohwer residents disagreed over whether to move the Nisei war memorial and 24 graves from the abandoned Arkansas camp. Omaha JACL honored its Issei pioneers at a banquet, and Henry Mori’s Los Angeles Newsletter and Saburo Kido’s look back at the early 1930s appeared as well. Chapter news covered Nisei Relays queen candidates, scholarships and a Chicago youth festival.

What’s in this issue

Commentary

• Washington Newsletter: Eisenhower’s Trip Cancelled, by Mike M. Masaoka, page 1. Masaoka reports that the State Department advised former President Eisenhower to cancel his planned autumn trip to Japan after anti-American demonstrations. He argues Japan’s people prefer close ties with the United States and urges Eisenhower’s visit be reconsidered.
• Mochi by Machine, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Ann Arbor, Michigan, JACL chapter describes making mochi at its Mochitsuki machine for holidays and for exchange students from Japan. The column notes the community value of traditional New Year foods.
• FDR’s First Year, by Saburo Kido, page 4. Saburo Kido recalls early history of the Northern California JACL district council and the Japanese American News in 1933. He describes the council’s budget and the planning of the national convention.

JACL

• PSWDC Convention Calls for Greater JACL Membership, by P.C. Staff, page 1. An editorial praises the Pacific Southwest District Council convention and urges Japanese Americans not in JACL to join so the organization can represent their interests. It argues that individual voices carry more weight when organized in groups.
• Masaoka in Stirring Address at Pacific Southwest Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mike Masaoka delivered the principal address at the Pacific Southwest District Council convention in Los Angeles, recounting JACL’s wartime positions and the 442nd’s record. He urged Japanese Americans to take part in civil rights and improve U.S.-Japan relations.
• Japanese American Citizens League Board Members, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Brief notices list JACL national board members and officers attending regional events and announcing activities. Items concern the JACL booth at the Venice carnival and the Seattle JACL’s newsletter.
• Pacific Northwest District Convention Dates Selected, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Pacific Northwest District Council convention will be held in Hood River, Oregon, on December 2-3, hosted by Mid-Columbia JACL. The announcement also listed related weekend events.
• Living with JACL: Part V, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A continuing history column describes early San Francisco JACL activities around the 1944 national convention, including fundraising events in Fresno and San Francisco. It corrects an earlier claim about Long Beach chapter activities.
• PSWDC Endorses Welfare Agency Program of Japanese American Community Services, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Pacific Southwest District Council unanimously endorsed the Japanese American Community Services agency. Its president Kango Kunitsugu thanked the council and described the agency’s role.

Community

• Linda Mizuhara Named Southwest L.A. Candidate for Nisei Relays Queen, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Southwest Los Angeles JACL chose Linda Mizuhara as its candidate for the 1961 Nisei Relays queen contest. A junior at Dorsey High School, she has been active in school affairs since junior high.
• ‘Issei Story’ One of the Most Important Tasks: Wakamatsu, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Former national JACL president Shig Wakamatsu chairs the Issei Story project to record the history of the Issei and Nisei. He describes the project as among the most important JACL has undertaken and explains how Dr. T. Scott Miyakawa came to direct it.
• NC-WNDC Chairman Elected Chamber of Commerce Head, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Henry Kato of San Jose was elected president of the Warm Springs Chamber of Commerce in Fremont. Kato is also chairman of the Northern California-Western Nevada JACL District Council.
• Fowler JACLer Heads School Trustee Group, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Harry H. Hiroka of Fowler JACL, president of the Fresno County School Trustees Association, led a delegation to a national school board convention in Philadelphia. Hiroka also serves on the Fowler Union High School board.
• PSW and NC-WN Councils Discuss Methods to Raise ‘Issei Story’ Fund, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Delegates at the Pacific Southwest and Northern California-Western Nevada district councils discussed raising $100,000 to finance research for the Issei Story project. Progress reports noted chapter fundraising and the planned 1961 studies by Dr. Miyakawa.
• San Jose JACLer Earns PTA Life Membership, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Tak Yonemoto of San Jose JACL received an honorary life membership from the California Congress of Parents and Teachers. He has been active with the Bennett PTA, 4-H, and local scouting.
• Los Angeles Newsletter, by Henry Mori, page 2. Henry Mori’s column reports on Los Angeles JACL activities including the Cherry Blossom Festival, a Thanksgiving dinner for exchange students, and recent chapter events. It also notes the Japanese American Community Services agency and Southwest L.A. JACL news.
• Milwaukee JACL Prepares Spaghetti Dinner, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Milwaukee JACL served a spaghetti dinner for over 90 members at its March meeting with an informative program. The chapter also reported on its scholarship plans.
• Sacramento JACL Sponsors Bowling Tournament, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Sacramento bowlers held a tournament honoring team sponsors and alley managers. Results and standings from five participating houses were announced.
• Omaha’s Issei Pioneers Recognized at JACL Banquet, by Mike Watanabe, page 3. Omaha JACL honored Issei pioneers at a banquet with Msgr. Edmund Walsh as main speaker. The article traces three waves of Issei settlement in Omaha, from strikebreakers to businessmen to postwar settlers.
• San Diego Sansei Picked for South American Summer Seminar, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Timothy Kaihatsu, a Clairemont High School junior and son of San Diego JACLers, was selected for an international affairs seminar at Pomfret School in Connecticut. The program includes study travel to Venezuela and Colombia.
• Long Beach Chapter Takes Home PSW Convention Bowling Trophy, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Long Beach JACL team won the PSWDC convention bowling championship with a 2857 total. Allan Kobata’s 62 pins led the team’s effort.
• Orange County Resident Wins PSW Convention Prize, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Jim Tsutsui of Costa Mesa won first prize of $250 in the PSWDC convention drawing. Other prize winners were also named.
• Monterey and Pocatello Chapters Prepare for IDC Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Pocatello JACL committees planned the Intermountain District Council convention at Idaho State College for August. Committee members and the district chairman are pictured.
• Fashions Dazzle SRO Luncheon Crowd at PSWDC Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The PSWDC convention fashion show luncheon featured spring styles from Loni’s Exclusive Shop modeled by five young women. Virgie Tachibana chaired the event, which drew a full house.
• Chicago Jr. JACL to Stage Youth Festival, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Chicago Jr. JACL will hold a Hawaii-themed youth festival with a carnival, queen contest, and variety show on May 19-21. Proceeds fund youth activities and scholarships.
• Hollywood Chapter Square Dance May 26 to Honor ’61 Graduates, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Hollywood JACL will hold a family square dance on May 26 at Elysian Park Lodge to honor 1961 graduates and athletes. A hamburger dinner and awards will be included.
• PSWDC Business Session Highlights Hi-Co and Membership, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Delegates heard reports on the Hi-Co Conference and discussed membership quotas and new chapter organizing. Sam Hirasawa was appointed to fill a board vacancy.
• Milwaukee JACL Gives First Scholarship to Pre-Med Student, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Milwaukee JACL awarded its first $200 scholarship to Chester Sakura, Jr., a Northwestern University student beginning pre-medical studies. Nami Shio, scholarship chairman, made the presentation.
• Sonoma County JACL Names Winner of Chapter Scholarship, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Sonoma County JACL named Anima B. Cornwell of Healdsburg Union High School the winner of its third annual Pioneer Memorial scholarship. Dennis K. Fujita of Petaluma was named alternate.
• President’s Profile: Dr. Roy Okamoto Leads Sonoma County JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Dr. Roy Okamoto, an optometrist in Santa Rosa, serves as president of the Sonoma County JACL chapter. The profile covers his education, family background, and community service.

Arts & Entertainment

• Kaye Takahashi Named San Fernando Valley Nisei Relays Queen Candidate, by P.C. Staff, page 1. San Fernando Valley JACL selected Kaye Takahashi, a 16-year-old San Fernando High junior, as its Nisei Relays queen candidate. She has been active in school affairs and is described as an attractive, typical teenager.

Incarceration & Redress

• Evacuee Groups Seek Gov’t Aid to Remove Japanese Graves from Rohwer; Others Disagree, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Former Rohwer residents debate whether to move the Nisei war memorial and 24 graves from the abandoned Arkansas camp. Arkansas efforts are underway to secure road access to the cemetery acre.

Military & Veterans

• Nisei Veteran Recognized in Los Angeles, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A short item notes local Nisei veterans honored at chapter events. The note recounts their service in the segregated 442nd Regimental Combat Team.
• Rohwer Nisei War Memorial, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The article describes the monument at the former Rohwer relocation camp in Arkansas, honoring Nisei war dead and the 442nd. It also discusses the cemetery’s neglected condition and a proposed access road.

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