Sansei, the draft and Memorial Day: a May 1967 issue

Vol. 64, No. 20, May 19, 1967. 6 pages. View this issue

How younger Japanese Americans fit into American life ran through this six-page issue. Jeffrey Matsui, JACL associate national director, told the California FEPC that Sansei face integration dilemmas their Nisei parents and Issei grandparents never knew. In his own column he answered an anonymous Sansei letter and urged Nisei parents to teach pride in heritage alongside being American. Hawaii’s Selective Service director, Henry C. Oyasato, said the draft was accepted there as a patriotic duty, and T. Exino wrote on patriotism and dissent over the Vietnam War.

Memorial Day services were planned at Golden Gate National Cemetery, with Lt. Col. Barry Saiki speaking, and at Arlington. Bill Hosokawa reported from Expo 67 in Montreal. Seattle JACL named Ann H. Tokita its first Mother of the Year, and registration for the JACL tour to Japan was oversubscribed.

What’s in this issue

National

• Draft Problems in Hawaii Minimal, Says Col. Oyasato, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Hawaii Selective Service director Henry C. Oyasato said island young men have accepted the draft as a patriotic duty and that no organized anti-draft activity exists there. He made the remarks at a State Department news conference in Washington.
• Sansei Divided on Integration, Calif. FEPC Told by JACLer, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Jeffrey Matsui, JACL associate national director, told the California FEPC that Sansei face integration dilemmas unknown to their Nisei parents and Issei grandparents. He urged a middle path that lets Sansei contribute to the general community while valuing Issei cultural virtues.

Community

• Small Chapter Programs Can Be Attractive, Says Fremont JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Dr. Walter W. Hashimoto, Fremont JACL program chairman, argued that small chapters can keep members engaged through varied activities. He listed cemetery cleanup, picnics, a fishing derby, and a chapter book distribution as examples.
• Central California DC Cites Six Scholars, by Jiro Kataoka, page 1. The Central California District Council announced its scholarship winners, including a top award and four achievement awards. Each scholarship carries a $125 stipend.
• Nisei Represented on All Levels of Livingston Area School Boards, by P.C. Staff, page 2. For 16 years Nisei have held seats on the Livingston Elementary School Board, and new trustee Sherman Kishi won a seat on the Union High board. Buddy Iwata continues to serve on the Merced College board, and Mamoru Tsuda also holds a position.
• EDYC Chairman Scott Nagao Selected as Exchange Student to Germany, by Ellen Nakamura, page 2. C. Scott Nagao, Eastern District Youth Council chairman, was chosen to spend his junior year in Germany through the Bridgeton High School Student Exchange Foundation. He will depart August 14 and is the son of a past Seabrook JACL president.
• Nikkei Janitors Quit Over Union at Seattle University, by Kerry Webster, page 3. Thirty-four Japanese American janitors at Seattle University left their jobs rather than join a union to keep their posts at higher pay. The university turned maintenance duties over to Dependable Maintenance Co.
• Seattle JACL Chapter Honors Ann Tokita as Mother of the Year, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Seattle JACL presented its first Mother of the Year award to Ann H. Tokita on May 9. The award recognized her success in raising eight children after being widowed.

Arts & Entertainment

• Los Angeles Tanka Poet Takayanagi Accorded Top Japanese Recognition, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Shasui Takayanagi, who directed the Hokubei Tanka Club since before the war, will receive Japan’s Rainju Hosho medal. He is credited with popularizing tanka poetry in the United States.
• Pat Suzuki Meets Chicago JACLer, Reminisces About Larry Tajiri, by Karen Hanamoto, page 3. Actress Pat Suzuki, starring in The Owl and the Pussycat in Chicago, talks about her career, her New York lifestyle, and her sister Suzi Sabusawa. She reflects on the late theater critic Larry Tajiri, whom she calls a beautiful friend to performers.

JACL

• JACL-Japan Tour Registration Oversubscribed, by P.C. Staff, page 1. National Headquarters reported that the October 14-November 4 JACL Tour to Japan has been oversubscribed, and reservations close May 25. Registration requires a $100 down payment with the balance due September 1.

Commentary

• Respect for Flag, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The editorial argues that the American Flag deserves respect and that laws against its desecration should be carefully drafted and proportionate. It contends that civic education, not legislation alone, is the best way to instill respect for the flag.
• Did Japan Have to Be Discovered?, by Rev. T. Mitsui, page 2. Rev. T. Mitsui of Vancouver responds to Joe Grant Masaoka’s article on who discovered Japan. He argues that the term discovery is inadequate for lands with established civilizations, noting that the Ainu inhabited Japan long before Europeans.
• From the Frying Pan: Expo 67, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Hosokawa describes his visit to Expo 67 in Montreal, highlighting the American geodesic pavilion designed partly by Shoji Sadao. He also praises the Japanese, Korean, and Czech pavilions for their design and presentation.
• Anonymously Integrated, by Jeffrey Matsui, page 4. Matsui responds to an anonymous Sansei letter that rejected being identified as Japanese American, arguing that true integration changes both groups. He urges Nisei parents to teach their children pride in their heritage alongside being Americans.
• Patriotism-Dissent, by T. Exino, page 5. The writer examines how critics of the Vietnam War are branded unpatriotic and argues that such labels are often emotional smear tactics. Drawing on definitions from military, ACLU, and journalistic figures, the writer contends that dissent can be a higher form of patriotism.
• Signs of the Time, by Don Estes, page 5. Estes explains the twelve-year Japanese and Chinese zodiac cycle, listing the animals and their origins. He notes the cycle began in 1960 with the Year of the Rat and that the system reached Japan around the first century A.D.

Military & Veterans

• Lt. Col. Saiki to Address May 30 Memorial Day Rites in San Francisco, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Retired Lt. Col. Barry Saiki will speak at the Memorial Day service at Golden Gate National Cemetery, co-sponsored by the Golden Gate Nisei VFW Post and the JACL. The program will honor parents, wives and relatives of Nisei veterans buried there.
• Nisei Memorial Day Rites Planned at Arlington, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A Memorial Day service at Arlington Cemetery on May 28 will include an address by Maj. Robert N. Katayama and wreath-laying at the graves of 21 Nisei. On May 30 the D.C. JACL chapter will place a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

Obituaries

• Mother of the Year Ann H. Tokita Honored by Seattle JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Seattle JACL named Ann H. Tokita its first Mother of the Year for raising eight children alone after her husband’s death. All of her children attended college, and she built a successful hotel and apartment business.

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