A Japanese Medicare leaflet for the Issei, and a push to repeal Washington’s land law

Vol. 62, No. 9, March 4, 1966. 6 pages. View this issue

A Japanese translation of the Medicare leaflet led this six-page issue. National JACL Director Masao Satow announced that 25,000 copies were ordered for chapters to hand out to Issei, especially those turning 65 by July 1, with a March 31 sign-up deadline for people not in Social Security. Washington’s anti-alien land law was the other major subject. President Kumeo Yoshinari wrote about SJR 20, the referendum to repeal it, and Toru Sakahara urged a strong YES vote in November 1966.

Elsewhere, Bertram T. Kanbara argued the Hawaii reapportionment case before the U.S. Supreme Court. Bill Hosokawa, Harry K. Honda and Carol Hasegawa contributed columns. Chapter news came from Chicago, Fresno, Monterey Peninsula, Alameda and San Francisco, and Rep. Don Edwards introduced a bill to strike the word “cooly” from U.S. statutes.

What’s in this issue

Community

• Medicare Leaflet in Japanese Ready; 25,000 Ordered by JACL for Chapter Usage, by P.C. Staff, page 1. National JACL announced a Japanese translation of the Medicare program leaflet, with 25,000 copies ordered for chapter distribution to Issei before the July 1 Medicare start. Questions at the chapter level will be routed to National Headquarters and answered through the vernacular newspapers.
• St. Louis Set for Midwest District Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL Midwest District Council convention, themed ‘Gateway to Greatness,’ will be held Memorial Day weekend in St. Louis at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel. Delegates from eight chapters are expected, with a mixer, business sessions, and a dinner-dance planned.
• Sacramento Jr. JACL to Enter Parade Float, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Sacramento Junior JACL will enter a float in the Camellia Festival parade under the direction of Mrs. Grace Morimoto. The festival includes the 12th annual Camellia Show and an International Friendship luncheon.
• New Fishing Industry in Northwest May Challenge Importance of Salmon, by Elmer Ogawa, page 3. Elmer Ogawa reports that hake, once discarded as a scrap fish, is becoming a commercial catch in Puget Sound and the Pacific Northwest. He describes the new processing operations and the market for fish meal and pet food, which may eventually rival salmon in importance.
• Regional Aides Picked for Kido Testimonial, by P.C. Staff, page 3. National JACL named regional chairmen to help organize a testimonial honoring wartime president Saburo Kido, who served 1940-46. Regional chairmen are collecting names of Kido’s friends and colleagues, and the luncheon date was moved to July 29 in San Diego.
• Chicago JACL Gives Bill Marutani Brotherhood Award, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Chicago JACL presented its Brotherhood Award to attorney Bill Marutani for his civil rights work in Bogalusa, Louisiana, where he risked considerable danger. At the dinner he spoke on his experiences in the South, which included a confrontation with the local Klan leader.
• Medicare Discussed at Philadelphia Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Philadelphia JACL held a meeting on Medicare with Social Security representatives, addressing questions from members about enrollment and the program’s coverage. The chapter encouraged attendance to help members complete necessary forms before the deadline.
• Fresno Nisei Hear Sen. Kuchel’s Lincoln Day Talk, by P.C. Staff, page 5. More than 500 people attended a Fresno testimonial dinner honoring Senator Thomas Kuchel, a Republican who was praised for his support of Japanese American causes, including the Evacuation Claims bills. In his Lincoln Day address Kuchel warned against political extremism and stressed that the United States is a nation of many races and religions.
• Gardena Valley Installs Cabinet, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Gardena Valley JACL installed its new cabinet at a Torrance ceremony, with Stephen Tamura among the installed officers. Past officers and outgoing members were recognized for their service to the chapter.
• Monterey Peninsula JACL Installs Officers, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Monterey Peninsula JACL held its annual installation dinner at the Shutters restaurant, where George Uyeda succeeded Mike Sanda as president. Judge Russell Zaches installed the officers and honored Minnie Coyle, and college president George Faul spoke on the college’s growth.
• Alameda JACL Installation Dinner Features Attorney Donald McCullum, by P.C. Staff, page 5. At the Alameda JACL installation dinner, attorney Don McCullum spoke on the common problems of minority groups and the stake Japanese Americans have in the civil rights movement. The chapter also presented its scholarship award at the event.
• 875 Japanese Admitted to U.S. Under Quota Visas Under New Immigration Law, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Cecil Fullilove of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service told the San Francisco JACL installation dinner that the revised law has admitted 875 Japanese under quota visas. He explained that close relatives may now apply and that skilled and professional persons may be admitted under the new provisions.
• Interest in Helping Youth Stirred by Pastor, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Shigeru Yabu, a program specialist with the Boys’ Club of America, was appointed Santa Monica Boys’ Club program director. He developed youth programs after being asked by his pastor to befriend and guide boys in his San Francisco neighborhood.
• Chicago JACL Credit Union Re-elects Dr. Roy Teshima, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Chicago JACL Credit Union re-elected Dr. Roy Teshima as chairman and named other officers for the coming year. A 4.5 percent dividend on shares was declared for the last half of 1965.

National

• U.S. Supreme Court Hears First Nisei Argue Major Case, by Bertram T. Kanbara, page 1. Bertram T. Kanbara, a deputy Hawaii Attorney General, became the first lawyer of Japanese ancestry to argue a major case before the U.S. Supreme Court, presenting oral arguments in the Hawaii reapportionment case on Feb. 21. Justices questioned him closely, and several Hawaii congressional members attended the session.
• Repeal of ‘Cooly’ in U.S. Laws Sought, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Rep. Don Edwards introduced a bill to strike the word ‘cooly’ from U.S. statutes, arguing that the derogatory term is an unnecessary reminder of past history. The term appears in 1862 laws prohibiting hiring of persons from Asian countries as servants or apprentices.

JACL

• Dr. Yoshihashi to Represent JACL at U.S.-Japan Cultural Parley, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Dr. Takehiko Yoshihashi will serve as JACL adviser-observer at the Third United States-Japan Conference on Cultural and Educational Interchange in Tokyo, marking the first time JACL is officially represented at an overseas conference. The conference theme is the role of universities in mutual understanding between Japan and America.

Commentary

• President’s Corner: SJR 20 Push to Rid Land Law in Washington Accelerates, by Kumeo Yoshinari, page 1. JACL President Kumeo Yoshinari urges support for Washington’s SJR 20, a referendum to repeal the state constitutional ban on land ownership by certain aliens, after two previous defeats. He analyzes the reasons for past losses and calls for full National JACL support and funding for the campaign.
• Vietnam Debate: Are We Right?, by Harry K. Honda, page 2. The editorial argues the central question on Vietnam is whether America is right and the Communists wrong, not the tactical debate over escalation. It examines George Kennan’s testimony questioning the moral obligation to resist Communist aggression everywhere and warns of the implications of disengagement from Asia and Africa.
• California Politics and JACL Bowling Tournament Notes, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The editorial explains that candidates must file a declaration of intention before a declaration of candidacy, criticizes the wasteful filing practice, and notes Secretary of State Frank Jordan’s recommendation to end it. It also previews the JACL National Nisei Bowling Tournament in San Francisco.
• Equality of Opportunity, by Phil Hayasaka, page 2. Phil Hayasaka argues that civil rights is shifting from equal opportunity toward equal effects, since formal barriers have been removed but disadvantaged groups lack the skills to benefit. He calls for job training, tutoring, and realistic hiring and promotion practices.
• From the Frying Pan: Rising Son, Chapter 3, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Hosokawa follows up on Aiji Tashiro, author of a 1934 article on the ‘rising son,’ using information from Dr. Kelly Yamada about Tashiro’s Seattle boyhood and family. The column also recounts Yamada’s own career and describes a Burmese attorney who gave up his savings to immigrate to the United States.
• To Those Who Question Wisdom of Another Repeal Effort: Repeal Anti-Alien Land Law in ’66, by Toru Sakahara, page 3. Sakahara explains that Washington’s anti-alien land law still contains exceptions that permit alien ownership in several circumstances, while still serving as a discriminatory relic. He argues that Japanese Americans have a compelling reason to support repeal and urges a strong YES vote in November 1966.
• An Issei Trait We Should Cherish, by Tak Kubota, page 3. On behalf of the Seattle JACL board, Tak Kubota praises Mike Masaoka’s work on immigration equality and then reflects on the Issei virtue of gratitude, or giri and on. He urges young leaders to accept criticism as a penalty of leadership and encourages Nisei to take a more active role in politics.
• Frankly Speaking: We’ve an Inferiority Complex, by Carol Hasegawa, page 5. Hasegawa argues that Japanese Americans remain reluctant and fearful as a group, an inferiority complex rooted in wartime injustice and past hostility. She notes encouraging signs, however, as more Nisei take public roles and speak out on civil rights.

In-Depth

• History Project: Machines Taking Over ‘Hone Oru’ Labor, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Drawing on Issei interview survey responses and U.S. Immigration Commission reports, this History Project article describes the backbreaking early wage labor of Issei in railroads, beet fields, and canneries. It then traces how machines have since replaced much of that stoop labor in crops such as sugar cane, salmon, sugar beets, and tomatoes.

Thank you for exploring the Pacific Citizen archive. The title, introduction and contents on this page were written by an AI model from scans of the printed issue, so they may contain mistakes. If you spot one, we would be grateful if you let us know.