Perspectives from Jerry Enomoto, Bill Marutani and Mike Masaoka

Vol. 69, No. 2, July 11, 1969. 6 pages. View this issue

Columns carried much of this six-page issue. JACL National President Jerry Enomoto wrote about the AMA’s poor image with the poor and minorities, and about Seattle’s new Asian Coalition, ACE. Bill Marutani described a long conversation with Zengakuren student radicals in Tokyo, and in a second column reflected on being treated as a Japanese while living there. Mike Masaoka assessed the legacy of retiring Chief Justice Earl Warren, and Bill Hosokawa wrote about Osaka as Expo 70 approached.

Other pieces looked at Sansei concerns: Patti Dohzen on youth programs, Alan Kumamoto on a youth forum, and Harry K. Honda on identity. JACL news included a 5 1/4 percent credit union dividend, the interim board and staff meeting in Los Angeles, and a Dayton-Cincinnati charter flight to Tokyo. Don Estes described the Shosho-In treasure house in Nara.

What’s in this issue

Commentary

• Perspectives, by Jerry Enomoto, page 1. JACL National President Jerry Enomoto criticizes the AMA’s poor image with the poor and minorities and urges chapters to act on civil rights. He also praises the emergence of Seattle’s Asian Coalition, ACE, as a sign of Asian Americans engaging with national issues.
• A Zengakuren Close-up, by Bill Marutani, page 1. Marutani recounts an extended conversation with Zengakuren student radicals in Tokyo about their demands for a voice in university administration. He describes the sharp exchange over ideology and his defense of the American system.
• The Warren Court, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. Masaoka assesses the legacy of retiring Chief Justice Earl Warren, faulting his silence on Japanese American wartime evacuation while crediting landmark decisions. He highlights Baker v. Carr, Brown v. Board of Education, and Gideon v. Wainwright as reshaping American justice.
• The Aggressive City, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Hosokawa describes Osaka as a driving, business-focused city distinct from Tokyo, with its hotels full of international businessmen. He also notes the preparations for Expo 70 underway there.
• Friendly Coffee Hour, by Bill Mayer, page 3. Mayer, a Los Angeles Long Beach Press-Telegram bureau chief, recounts how informal press room gossip shaped unfavorable coverage of coroner Dr. Thomas Noguchi before his firing. He suggests reporters relied on rumor and friendly contacts rather than direct investigation.
• Sansei Slant: The Ashizawa Formula, by Patti Dohzen, page 4. Dohzen argues that a successful youth activity depends on quality of benefit and participation rather than sheer numbers. She offers a formula to evaluate Sansei programming.
• Parents’ primary duty to child is to teach love and responsibility, by Tom Kadomoto, page 4. Kadomoto argues that affluence has led some parents to substitute material gifts for genuine love and discipline. He proposes teaching children respect, responsibility, reliability, and respect for others’ rights.
• East Wind: The Visible Majority, by Bill Marutani, page 5. Marutani reflects on being treated as a Japanese while living in Tokyo, examining the expectations of language and etiquette placed on Nisei. He also contrasts Japanese customs and modern urban life with American experience.
• Sex, Games, Quiet, by Alan Kumamoto, page 5. Kumamoto recounts a mixed-race youth forum where participants discussed family communication and stereotypes. He reflects on why many Asian American youth remain quiet in such settings.
• Sansei’s Search for Identity, by Harry K. Honda, page 6. Honda reflects on a Las Palmas juvenile facility family therapy session in which a Japanese American mother and daughter confronted their shame and heritage. He draws on Alan Kumamoto and others to show how Sansei struggle with identity.

Community

• Contra Costa-Fremont chapters slate picnic, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Contra Costa and Fremont JACL chapters will hold their joint annual picnic July 20 at Little Hills Ranch in San Ramon. Gates open at 9 a.m. with pool and games scheduled through the afternoon.
• Hiroshima Kenjinkai hold A-bomb memorial, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Sacramento Hiroshima Kenjin Kai will hold its annual memorial service on the Sunday nearest August 6 at the Japanese Pioneer Methodist Church. The service honors atomic bomb victims and Kenjinkai members who died during the year.
• S.F. JACL Credit Union new loan rates effective now, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The San Francisco JACL Credit Union announced new loan rates effective immediately for used cars, real estate, home improvement, and personal loans. Members can obtain Truth in Lending disclosure information from the treasurer.
• Stockton Buddhists dedicate new church, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The new Stockton Buddhist Church, costing $1 million, was dedicated June 29-30 in West Stockton. The congregation relocated after its former site was acquired by the state for a freeway.
• Sumitomo Bank branch in San Mateo to open Aug. 1, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The tenth branch of the Sumitomo Bank of California will open August 1 at Hillsdale Shopping Center in San Mateo, with David H. Saito as manager. The branch will occupy space at a major Northern California shopping center.
• Trip for underprivileged Sacramento children slated, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sacramento children from underprivileged families will ride a bus to Candlestick Park to attend a San Francisco Giants game. The children will also have the chance to meet players before the game.
• Tule Lake high school graduates plan reunion, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Former Tule Lake high school graduates are planning a 15-year reunion for the summer of 1970 in the Sacramento area. Organizers are seeking contact information from interested graduates.
• Peter Ohtaki goes to New York for Japan Air Lines, by Joe Hamanaka, page 3. Peter Ohtaki, Seattle district sales manager for Japan Air Lines, has moved to New York to supervise JAL’s advertising budget as advertising and sales promotion manager for the Americas. A former MIS linguist, he has a long record of community involvement.

JACL

• Nat’l JACL credit union declares 5 1/4 percent dividend, highest yet, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The National JACL Credit Union declared a 5.25 percent annual dividend for the first half of 1969, the highest ever paid. Distributions exceeded $30,000, according to treasurer Hito Okada.
• Nat’l JACL board & staff interim session scheduled, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The 1969 National JACL Board and Staff interim meeting will be held July 14-20 at the International Hotel near LAX. Discussions will cover budget, membership dues, legal matters, youth programs, and public affairs issues.
• Japan immigration to U.S. centennial stamp requested, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL chapter presidents were urged to ask congressmen to recommend a commemorative stamp marking the centennial of Japanese immigration to the U.S. The 1869 Wakamatsu Tea and Silk Farm colony was marked by a state historical plaque dedicated at Coloma.
• Dayton-Cincinnati JACLers going to Tokyo July 12 on charter flight, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A JACL charter flight from Dayton to Tokyo departs July 12 for a three-week tour of Japan, filled to capacity with 165 passengers. The project grew from a 1967 idea and boosted Dayton chapter membership to a record 175.

National

• Hearing date set for judo school incident of bias, by P.C. Staff, page 1. New York’s State Division of Human Rights scheduled a public hearing on a complaint that a 10-year-old Negro boy was denied judo lessons at the Long Island Ogata Judo Dojo. The complaint alleges the school refused to accept Negro students.
• Astronauts taking message to moon from world leaders, by P.C. Staff, page 2. World leaders were invited by NASA to send messages carried to the moon by Apollo 11 astronauts. Japanese Premier Eisaku Sato sent a calligraphy message congratulating mankind on the first moon landing.
• Japan asks UN aid to reclaim Kuriles, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Japan reaffirmed its claim to the southern Kurile Islands before the UN trusteeship council, rebutting an earlier Soviet claim. Foreign Minister Aichi planned to press the matter in Moscow later in the year.
• Kidney Disease bill, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Rep. Spark Matsunaga introduced the National Kidney Disease Act of 1969, which would provide $74 million over several years for a comprehensive kidney disease program. The bill has the support of 59 cosponsors in the House.

In-Depth

• Nara’s house of heritage: Shosho-In, by Don Estes, page 6. Estes describes the Shosho-In in Nara, a wooden treasure house dating from 751 A.D. that has preserved eighth-century artifacts from Japan and Tang China. He explains its construction and the restricted annual viewing schedule.

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