The foreign minister invitation divides JACL ahead of its convention

Vol. 74, No. 15, April 21, 1972. 6 pages. View this issue

The decision to invite Japan’s Foreign Minister to speak at the National JACL Convention congressional banquet drew objections across this issue. Letters to the editor, columns by Warren Furutani and Kats Kunitsugu, and a Yuji Ichioka essay on JACL’s past view of Japanese government policy all questioned the choice. A Bay Area Community JACL resolution is covered too, and ten weeks remain until the Washington D.C. convention.

Elsewhere on the front page, Nisei won city council races in Gardena, Carson, Oxnard, Union City and Pleasanton, and Dr. Jin N. Kinoshita was named to lead a National Eye Institute laboratory. A report on the Executive Order 9066 photo exhibit in Pasadena describes 55 hostile calls to NBC in ten minutes, followed by Robert Abernethy’s own account. Jerry Enomoto writes in defense of Baldo Kristovich, and Allan Beekman reviews Donald Richie’s The Inland Sea.

What’s in this issue

Community

• Drug Abuse Problem Getting Worse, Panel Told, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Dr. Jokichi Takamine told the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse that Los Angeles County drug and alcohol programs lack coordination and the problem is worsening. He argued that society must address root causes and opposed heroin clinics.
• Calif. Education Dept. Seeks Asian Educators, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The California State Department of Education is recruiting Asian American educators for a task force on preventing conflict in secondary schools. Candidates should have high school administrative experience.
• Nisei Heads National Eye Institute, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Dr. Jin N. Kinoshita, a San Francisco-born biochemist and former Harvard professor, was named chief of the Laboratory of Vision Research at the National Eye Institute. His career and honors, including a 1968 JACL Nisei of the Biennium award, are summarized.
• Five Nisei Win in So. Calif. City Elections, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Ken Nakaoka became Gardena’s first popularly elected Nisei mayor, and several other Nisei won council seats in Carson, Oxnard, Hemet, and elsewhere. The article reports vote totals and the winners’ backgrounds.
• Union City, Pleasanton Elect Nisei to Councils, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Tom Kitayama was re-elected to the Union City council, and Floyd Mori won a seat in Pleasanton in his first run for public office. The article gives vote counts and background on both men.
• Melting-Pot Theory Subtle Form of Bias, Methodist Bishops Told, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rev. Peter Chen told United Methodist bishops in Atlanta that racism persists in churches through the melting pot ideal. Representatives of ethnic caucuses presented their concerns, including Rev. George Nishikawa’s report for the Asian American Caucus.
• Seattle to Host BCA Convention for Women Groups, by P.C. Staff, page 1. About 1,000 women from the Buddhist Churches of America will meet in Seattle for their 15th national convention. Bishop Kenryu Tsuji will give the keynote on the historic role of women in Buddhism.
• Two Sacramento Sisters Sue S.P. Railroad for $6.5 Million, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Two sisters injured in a car-train collision in Farmington have filed a $6.5 million suit against Southern Pacific. The suit alleges negligence in train operation and inadequate crossing signals.
• PSW Facing Nat’l Council Agenda, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Pacific Southwest District Council will discuss issues for the National JACL Council meeting at its April 23 quarterly session in Gardena. Education and visual communication projects will be presented.
• Congressional Banquet Letters and Notices on Convention Planning, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A Pacific Citizen discussion covers the Bay Area Community JACL resolution on the convention congressional banquet and related letters. Hiroshi Kanno and others comment on the convention’s planning and format.
• Computerized Buddhism Among Goals of N.Y. Religious Research Institute, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Institute for Advanced Studies of World Religions is building a research center at SUNY Stony Brook with a large Buddhist collection and computerized indexing. The project is funded by a private foundation headed by Chia Theng Shen.
• NBC Shocked by 55 Hate Calls in Ten Minutes, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A NBC broadcast on the Executive Order 9066 photo exhibit in Pasadena drew dozens of hostile calls within minutes. Edison Uno suggested organized right-wing efforts may be trying to discredit the exhibit and revive wartime hostility.
• Text of Abernethy’s Viewpoint on KNBC, by Robert Abernethy, page 6. NBC reporter Robert Abernethy describes interviewing a contributor to the Executive Order 9066 photo book and reports the angry calls the segment provoked. He reflects on the internment and the hostility the broadcast drew.

Incarceration & Redress

• Hodding Carter Jr., 65, Mississippi Editor Won Pulitzer in 1946 for Defense of Nisei Loyalty, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The obituary recounts Hodding Carter Jr.’s 1945 editorial ‘Go for Broke,’ which won a Pulitzer Prize for urging fair treatment of returning Nisei soldiers. The article also quotes a 1946 Pacific Citizen editorial praising the press for supporting relocation.

Commentary

• Congressional Banquet Invitation to Foreign Minister Criticized, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Several letters to the editor object to inviting Japan’s Foreign Minister to speak at the National JACL Convention congressional banquet. Writers argue the choice misrepresents JACL’s purpose and that a Japanese American speaker would better serve community interests.
• Time to Defend Kristovich, by Jerry Enomoto, page 2. The column urges support for Baldo Kristovich, a Los Angeles County official facing charges he considers politically motivated. It describes Kristovich’s past help for Japanese Americans and announces a fund to assist him.
• Rights of Individuals, by Warren Furutani, page 2. The column examines the Ninth Amendment and what counts as natural rights, touching on housing discrimination, gun control, busing, and press freedom. It argues that freedom must extend to everyone or it means little.
• On Second Thought: The Foreign Minister, by Warren Furutani, page 2. The column opposes the choice of Japan’s Foreign Minister as convention speaker, citing Japanese government policies toward Koreans and rising militarism. It urges a different speaker and separates criticism of the Japanese government from criticism of the Japanese people.
• Pioneers 1972 and 25 Years Ago, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A 25-year-ago column recaps Navy enlistment changes, housing for evacuees, and civil rights efforts in 1947. It notes the Nisei and Issei issues JACL was pursuing at that time.
• Perspectives: Rights of Individuals, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A Tehachapi writer discusses the Ninth Amendment and its application to housing, gun control, busing and press freedom. The piece argues that freedom must be extended to all.
• The Foreign Minister and the Irony of History, by Yuji Ichioka, page 3. Ichioka traces JACL’s shift from tolerance of Japanese government policy to total repudiation of Japan after 1937, then argues that inviting Japan’s Foreign Minister reverses that history. He calls for critical thinking about both American and Japanese power rather than uncritical acceptance of U.S.-Japan ties.
• Nikkei View: Hayakawa’s Foreign Minister Choice, by Kats Kunitsugu, page 3. A guest column reflects on the controversy over the Foreign Minister speaker and the meaning of honor and obligation. It argues JACL must weigh its Japanese ties carefully.

JACL

• Leadership Training Institutes, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The editorial argues JACL depends on volunteers who need leadership training to meet growing demands on the organization. It calls for regularly planned national and regional training institutes.

Military & Veterans

• Ten Weeks Remain Until National JACL Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Washington D.C. convention is ten weeks away, and the Washington D.C. chapter is organizing the opening mixer. Registration details and convention events are outlined.

Arts & Entertainment

• The Inland Sea: Donald Richie’s Travelogue, by Allan Beekman, page 5. Beekman reviews Donald Richie’s book about a journey through Japan’s Inland Sea, noting its observations on industrial pollution and the people met along the way. He finds the account well-written and candid about the author’s personal life.

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