Vol. 69, No. 22, November 28, 1969. 6 pages. View this issue
JACL’s membership reached a record 24,552 dues-paying members in 1969, and the news was on the front page of this six-page issue. Jerry Enomoto, the national JACL president, wrote about the week in Washington when he and Mike Masaoka presented gold medallions and Bill Hosokawa’s book Nisei: The Quiet Americans to President Nixon and Prime Minister Sato. Two district councils elected new governors: Mas Hironaka in the Pacific Southwest and Tak Kubota in the Pacific Northwest. Sacramento County supervisors also backed JACL’s effort to repeal the Emergency Detention Act, citing the wartime incarceration.
Elsewhere, Edison Uno reported on Asian Americans at the San Francisco Peace March. Columns include Mike Masaoka on the Sato visit and Okinawa, Bill Hosokawa’s short observations, and Bill Marutani’s tribute to his mother. Patti Dohzen and Janice Ogawa trade views on student life, and the sports pages cover a perfect 300 game and bowling in Japan.
What’s in this issue
Community
- Pick Mas Hironaka PSWDC governor, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Hironaka of San Fernando Valley JACL was elected Pacific Southwest District Council governor at the quarterly session. The council also amended its rules to add the DYC chairman and youth commissioner as voting members of the executive board.
- Tak Kubota heads PNW as governor, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Tak Kubota of Seattle was elected Pacific Northwest District Council governor at the Nov. 1-2 convention in Portland. The Seattle JACL also won the Chapter of the Biennium award for its all-around program.
- Issei Day in Fresno attracts mayors from 11 communities to pay tribute, by P.C. Staff, page 1. More than 750 people attended a Fresno dinner honoring Issei pioneers, with the oldest living Issei couple, widow, and widower receiving awards. Mayors from eleven Central California communities addressed the gathering.
- Do Issei Want One in Little Tokyo?, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A bilingual questionnaire developed by a task force will assess elderly interest in senior citizen housing in Little Tokyo. Japanese churches in Southern California will assist in distributing it to an estimated 4,500 Issei and elderly Nisei.
JACL
- National JACL membership tops 24,000, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL’s 1969 membership reached a record 24,552 dues-paying members, a new national high. San Jose JACL remained the largest chapter with 1,598 members.
- Deeper appreciation of American heritage urged for new Guidelines, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL representatives testified at public hearings on proposed California educational Guidelines for Responsible Citizenship, urging a more critical treatment of American history and social injustice. They also called for broader coverage of dynamic justice concepts and fuller recognition of religious and philosophical pluralism.
- Sansei factors topic of new gov’t research, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A new HEW-sponsored study by Dr. H.T. Blane examines personality factors in third-generation Japanese American adolescents. Washington JACL News Notes editor Bob Nakamoto urges JACL to fund its own research into the Sansei generation and build research into its youth program.
- Pulse on the chapters: Seattle Issei in Central Area seek help, hurt by inadequate insurance, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Seattle JACL is seeking suggestions on the inadequate property insurance facing Japanese-owned businesses and residents in the Central Area. The chapter is also monitoring complaints about police protection and the Seattle Times handling of a controversial article.
Incarceration & Redress
- Sacramento County supervisors back JACL repeal effort, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted a resolution calling for repeal of Title II of the Internal Security Act, the Emergency Detention Act. The resolution cited the unconstitutional wartime incarceration of many JACL members.
- Medallions, Hosokawa books presented at White House ‘first’, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL representatives Jerry Enomoto and Mike Masaoka presented gold Wakamatsu Colony centennial medallions and Bill Hosokawa’s book Nisei: The Quiet Americans to President Nixon and Prime Minister Sato at the White House. The unprecedented ceremony marked the centennial of Japanese immigration to the United States.
National
- Racist comment on Japanese by S.F. United Crusade executive protested, by P.C. Staff, page 1. San Francisco Bay Area United Crusade executive director Stephen Nelson apologized and resigned after a memo containing derogatory remarks about Orientals was made public. Phil Ihara protested the comments and requested Nelson’s dismissal.
Military & Veterans
- Asian Americans parade in S.F. Peace March, by Edison Uno, page 1. Over 300 Asian Americans, mostly Sansei, joined the San Francisco Peace March on Nov. 15 wearing yellow armbands and carrying placards. The contingent participated peacefully and drew attention from press and photographers.
Commentary
- Sato visit and Okinawa, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. Masaoka describes the week of Nixon-Sato talks that produced an agreement to revert Okinawa to Japan, alongside the JACL presentation of medallions and books at the White House. He also recounts receptions and events attended by JACL leaders during the visit.
- Thoughts while trying to reach the bottom of the page, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Hosokawa offers a series of brief observations, including a Stockton teacher’s retirement scholarship fund, the planned Keio Plaza Hotel in Tokyo, and the mismatch between the Okinawa reversion’s emotional weight in Japan and its low profile in America. He also comments on Japanese American wartime loyalty and an FBI-era spy story.
- Moratori-Talk, by Patti Dohzen, page 4. Dohzen recounts a college student’s reactions to the Vietnam War moratorium, from attending a rally to wrestling with missing class. The column uses a diary-like format to explore the tension between activism and academic obligations.
- By the Board: 1000 Club plan of action, by Dr. Frank Sakamoto, page 5. Sakamoto reports that the JACL Executive Committee recommended a new 1000 Club giving structure and designated funding areas for Chicago approval. He also highlights a new Greater Pasadena Asian American studies group and reflects on the meeting.
- East Wind: A gallant lady, 1890-1969, by Bill Marutani, page 6. Marutani pays tribute to his mother, Haruno Marutani, an Issei who died in Hiroshima on Nov. 7, 1969. He reflects on her strength, discipline, and the lasting emptiness her passing leaves.
- Ye Editor’s Desk: Story of a samurai, by Harry K. Honda, page 6. Honda corrects a misconception that the samurai became farmers because swords could not compete with guns, tracing the samurai’s history through the Meiji Restoration. He also notes how Japan adapted Western influences while preserving its identity.
- Separate them, by Thomas R. Tanioka, page 6. Tanioka responds to Vice President Agnew’s speech attacking dissenters, drawing parallels to the rhetoric used against Japanese Americans before wartime incarceration. He warns of impending repression.
- A deserving honor, by Elmer Ogawa, page 6. Ogawa praises Iwao Matsushita, who received the Sacred Treasure from the Japanese government, for teaching Japanese language classes at the University of Washington without salary in the 1920s. He recalls Matsushita’s wartime internment and his decision to remain in the United States.
- The Seven Minutes, by Murray Sprung, page 6. Sprung criticizes Irving Wallace’s novel for its portrayal of a Japanese American lawyer and a derogatory use of the word Jap. He notes the book praises Nisei resolve but undermines that praise with a demeaning slur.
- Easy Rider, by Janice Ogawa, page 6. Ogawa responds to Patti Dohzen’s column on people resisting change, reflecting on her own growth and willingness to adapt. She is a Sansei student at San Francisco State College.
Sports
- Jim Tsujimura rolls 300 in Fairfield, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Sonoma County JACLer Jim Tsujimura bowled a perfect 300 game in a local five-game singles event at Fairfield Bowl. His five-game total was 1076.
- Yajima, Iwagami and perfect games in Japan, by Richard Gima, page 5. Japanese bowling has grown dramatically, with about 20 perfect games recorded in the past year and many new centers opening. Notable bowlers including Taro Iwagami and Hitoshi Yajima are profiled.
Obituaries
- Iwao Matsushita honored, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Matsushita, who taught Japanese language classes at the University of Washington without salary, received the Sixth Order of the Sacred Treasure from Japan. He had declined a Gripsholm exchange ride during the war to remain in the United States.
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