Japanese from Japan, Japanese Americans and U.S.-Japan ties

Vol. 73, No. 10, September 3, 1971. 6 pages. View this issue

Relations between the United States and Japan ran through this six-page issue. National JACL President Raymond S. Uno asked how often Japanese Americans are asked whether they were born in this country, as more visitors from Japan make the two groups harder for Americans to tell apart. Mike M. Masaoka urged Japan to lead on freer world trade, and a news item reported that Japan had overtaken the United Kingdom as the leading source of overseas visitors to the United States in the first half of 1971.

Elsewhere, David Ushio examined the flaws of the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program, and Bill Hosokawa wrote about Denver as seen by two visitors from New York. News pages covered the Nisei Week drug crisis center in Los Angeles, a research program documenting Asian American needs there, and the extended deadline for JACL National Student Aid applications.

What’s in this issue

Commentary

• U-NO Bar: Were You Born in This Country?, by Raymond S. Uno, page 1. National JACL President Raymond Uno reflects on how often Japanese Americans are asked whether they were born in this country, as growing numbers of visitors from Japan make Japanese and JAs harder for Americans to distinguish. He also recounts the Nagoya students’ summer program at the University of Utah and related community events.
• Reischauer Points to China-Japan Ties as Bellwether, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Former ambassador Edwin Reischauer criticized the President for not notifying Japan in advance of a 10 percent import tax and for the China visit surprise. He argued that the China-Japan relationship will be the key to watch in coming years.
• At Another Crisis Point: Mike Masaoka on U.S.-Japan Trade, by Mike M. Masaoka, page 1. Masaoka urges Japan to assume leadership in freer world trade, reexamine its import restrictions and fixed yen exchange rate, and take a more civic role in the communities where its businesses operate. He argues that such steps would serve Japan’s long-term interests.
• Welfare Dilemma, by David Ushio, page 2. Washington JACL representative David Ushio examines the flaws of the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program, which can push working fathers to desert their families. He argues that a nationally uniform, work-incentive program is needed, and corrects several myths about welfare recipients.
• View from the Outside, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Bill Hosokawa reflects on Denver’s problems, including pollution, traffic, minority tensions, and rising taxes, as seen through the eyes of two visiting New Yorkers who found the city pleasant by comparison. He reflects on how much work remains to improve American communities.
• Contemplation, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A Los Angeles JACL member reflects on finding the community’s problems and his frustration in addressing them. He concludes that the Nisei must re-evaluate their values and that educating youth is key to solving community problems.
• Letter: Farm Labor, by Elsie R. Renne, page 6. Elsie Renne praises the Pacific Citizen’s coverage of the farm labor controversy and argues that the UFWOC best represents the workers despite its limits. She suggests that cooperative economics offers a more equitable long-term solution.

Incarceration & Redress

• Nisei Week Drug Crisis Center Assists Six, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACS-Asian Involvement’s crisis center in Los Angeles helped six young people exhibiting signs of dangerous drug use over Nisei Week weekend. Arrests fell sharply from 18 the previous year, which staff attributed to deterrence, peer channeling, and advance publicity.

Community

• Start Research to Document L.A. Asian Problems, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A six-month federally and privately funded demonstration program in Los Angeles is gathering data on Asian American communities to document their problems and needs. Organizers say the statistics are needed to dispel the myth that Asians face few social problems.
• Sacramento Sheriff Seeks Asian Applicants, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sacramento County is holding an open deputy sheriff examination on Oct. 2 and encouraging Asian applicants, with the local JACL helping publicize it. Candidates must meet age, height, weight, and education requirements, and the filing deadline is Sept. 10.
• JACL Student Aid Application Deadline Extended to Nov. 1, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL National Student Aid program extended its application deadline from Sept. 1 to Nov. 1, 1971. It is the first year the program operates nationally, and applicants file with regional chairmen.

National

• Ethnic Heritage Studies Center Bill in Senate, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Ethnic Heritage Studies Center Act, sponsored by Sen. Richard Schweiker, has cleared a Senate committee as part of the Education Amendments of 1971. The JACL supported a similar bill last session and seeks $30 million to implement it.
• Japan Leads in Tourists to U.S., Biggest Influx Noted in Hawaii, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Japan overtook the United Kingdom as the leading source of overseas visitors to the United States during the first half of 1971, according to Commerce Department data. Most Japanese visitors in 1970 went to Hawaii and Guam rather than the mainland.
• Mexican American Group Protests Textbook Selections, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mexican American education groups in Los Angeles planned to urge the State Board of Education to reject social science textbooks lacking adequate minority representation. They also called for a minority task force to advise publishers on compliance with state ethnic content laws.
• National JACL Planning Commission, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Planning Commission members discuss the JACL’s administrative reorganization, staffing needs for districts such as the Intermountain and Midwest, and the role of the national director. The discussion weighs how to fund additional regional staff and whether to establish offices outside California.

Obituaries

• The Rugged Issei, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A Seattle Issei, Torataro Ito, reflects on the death of his son Yasuo, a state highway engineer who died of a heart attack on a golf course. The column also profiles other aging Issei golfers in the Seattle area.
• Ken Dyo, 50, by Mark Yamaguchi, page 6. The Pasadena JACL mourns Ken Dyo, a past chapter president and longtime board member who served twice as district chairman. He died after falling ill following hard work at a community carnival.

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