Vol. 75, No. 24, December 15, 1972. 6 pages. View this issue
Student aid led the news in this six-page issue. The National JACL Student Aid Program received 74 applicants in 1972, and 25 students were chosen to share $4,000 based on need, motivation and ability. Two University of Washington students, Elaine Maire Ko and Susan Okamoto, won Sumitomo Bank of California Collegiate Scholarships. A Washington Post profile by Betty Medsger followed Donna Omata, a Sansei member of the National JACL Executive Committee, who spoke about growing up feeling different and the family legacy of wartime incarceration.
Also on the front page: a new multi-media school kit on Executive Order 9066, and Carl Ooka’s election as a Kittitas County commissioner. Inside are Dr. Roy Doi’s visit to Himeji Castle, a letter from Mary Sprung on getting a slur removed from Ohrbach’s signs, Jerry Enomoto’s address on criminal justice, and a study linking salted fish to stomach cancer risk.
What’s in this issue
JACL
- Student Aid Given to 25 ‘Most Needy’; $4,000 Distributed, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The National JACL Student Aid Program for 1972 received 74 applicants from six district councils, the highest in its four-year history. Twenty-five students were selected to receive $4,000 in aid based on need, motivation, and ability.
- Visitations, by P.C. Staff, page 2. National JACL publishes travel guidelines for national officers and staff visiting chapters and districts before the installation season. It specifies cost-sharing arrangements for chapter visits, district councils, and conventions.
Community
- Seattle U.W. Co-eds Win Sumitomo Bank College Awards, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Two University of Washington co-eds, Elaine Maire Ko and Susan Okamoto, both nominated by the Seattle JACL Chapter, won Sumitomo Bank of California Collegiate Scholarships. The article profiles their academic records and activities.
- Sacramento High-Rise Urged for Aged in Center Complex, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A feasibility study recommends a high-rise housing project of 80-100 units for elderly Japanese Americans in Sacramento, to be financed by FHA funds. The report also recommends in-home health services and bilingual staffing for existing agencies.
- PC Staffer Hospitalized, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Yukie Kamayatsu, circulation manager for The Pacific Citizen and an active Hollywood JACL member, was scheduled for surgery at Queen of Angels Hospital. The brief reports on her condition and well-wishes.
- 1000 Club Report, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The National JACL 1000 Club reports membership figures for November and lists chapter events and officer installations across several chapters. Its scope covers club news from multiple chapters.
- Harriet K. Miyaguchi Named to Hawaii Board, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Hawaii Governor John A. Burns appointed Harriet K. Miyaguchi to the state board of regents. The brief covers Hawaii local politics and related appointments.
Commentary
- Donna Omata Recalls Problems as a Sansei, by Betty Medsger, page 1. Washington Post feature profiling Donna Omata, a Sansei youth member of the National JACL Executive Committee, who discusses growing up feeling different and the family legacy of wartime incarceration. She helped establish a Junior JACL chapter in the Washington area.
- Sansei Literature, by Lowell K.Y. Chun-Hoon, page 2. The editor of Amerasia Journal writes to correct a column claim that the journal disappeared after two issues. He explains the publication is alive, lists current issues, and invites submissions.
- Jerry Enomoto’s Address on Criminal Justice in California, by Jerry Enomoto, page 2. Jerry Enomoto, superintendent of the Tehachapi state correctional institution, assesses the state of criminal justice administration in California. He discusses professionalism, correctional officers, due process, and the prison population decline.
- Book Review: Vita Sexualis by Ogai Mori, by Allan Beekman, page 6. Reviewer Allan Beekman assesses Ogai Mori’s autobiographical novel Vita Sexualis, translated by Kazuji Ninomiya. He notes the protagonist’s detached attitude toward sex and the author’s position as a prominent Japanese writer and army medical official.
National
- Carl Ooka Elected County Commissioner in Kittitas, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Carl Ooka, a Democrat, won election as a Kittitas County commissioner in Washington, becoming a rare Japanese American elected official in the sparsely Japanese American county. The article notes the county has only 97 residents of Japanese ancestry.
- Younger Labels Chinatown Gang Serious Threat, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Shotaro Hayashigatani, a Japanese language instructor at Sacramento State, faced deportation after the Labor Department refused an alien employment certificate, and was granted additional time for his case. The article details his academic background and immigration status.
Incarceration & Redress
- Multi-Media Kit Out on 1942 ‘Relocation’, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A multi-media educational kit titled ‘Executive Order 9066: Japanese American Relocation, 1942’ has been released for schools. It is designed to teach students about the wartime incarceration of Japanese Americans.
- Overdue Acupuncture: Ohrbach and Kenzo, by Mary Sprung, page 2. A New York JACL member describes a successful campaign to remove the slur ‘Jap’ from Kenzo-branded signage at Ohrbach’s department store. The letter recounts how committee members persuaded the store to end the use of the term.
- Executive Order 9066 Displays and Pending Redress Bills, by Mort Kurotori, page 2. A reader urges JACL and other groups to use relocation and internment exhibits to inform viewers about pending congressional redress bills. He suggests providing petitions for visitors to support the legislation.
In-Depth
- A Nisei View of Japan, Part VII: Himeji Castle, by Dr. Roy Doi, page 3. Dr. Roy Doi describes a family visit to Himeji Castle, touring its defensive design, history under Hideyoshi, and its donjon. He weaves in reflections on Japanese history and Russian-Japanese relations.
- Salted Fish, Pickled Vegetables Seen as Cancer Risk in Hawaii-Japan Study, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A National Cancer Institute study of Hawaii and Japan found that diets high in salted fish and brine-pickled vegetables correlate with elevated stomach cancer risk. The findings were more pronounced among Japan residents than their Hawaii-born descendants.
Arts & Entertainment
- Multi-Ethnic Theater in Japan Viewed as Goal for Dallas Theater Center Man, by Lorraine Haacke, page 3. Tokyo-born artist and set designer Yoichi Aoki, associate technical director at the Dallas Theater Center, discusses his abstract calligraphy-inspired paintings and set designs. He hopes ultimately to open a multi-ethnic theater in Japan.
Obituaries
- Manjiro Teapot Recalls Tale of Shipwrecked Japanese Boy, by Honolulu Advertiser, page 5. A Japanese teapot with an imperial crest, linked to the shipwrecked boy Manjiro, has resurfaced in Honolulu after its sale by a descendant of his New England benefactors. The article recounts Manjiro’s education in America and his later role as interpreter for Commodore Perry.
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