Nikkei election wins in Hawaii and a new cultural center for Little Tokyo

Vol. 79, No. 21, November 22, 1974. 4 pages. View this issue

The November 1974 elections shaped this four-page issue. Allan Beekman reported from Honolulu on record wins for Nikkei candidates, including Gov.-elect George Ariyoshi, and on the undercurrent of distrust some voters showed toward them. Bill Hosokawa’s column reviewed the same elections, crediting Mike Masaoka for encouraging Norman Mineta, who won a seat in Congress from San Jose. The front page also covered the $4.5 million Japanese American Cultural & Community Center in Little Tokyo, whose kickoff dinner at the Biltmore Hotel drew over 1,000 people.

Elsewhere, Harry Honda reported on a JACL National Board meeting that faced a year-end cash flow problem and a debate over a new program development officer. Togo Tanaka answered a columnist about Little Tokyo redevelopment, and Carole Morita described the 1974 JACL Sansei Study Tour, including Hiroshima. Page 3 carries chapter news and a profile of the Ariyoshi family.

What’s in this issue

National

• Hawaii Politics: Was There Distrust of Nikkei?, by Allan Beekman, page 1. Despite record wins for Nikkei candidates in Hawaii’s elections, including Gov.-elect George Ariyoshi, the piece examines undercurrents of ethnic backlash against Japanese American politicians. It details close races involving Inouye, Matsunaga, and the Ariyoshi-Crossley gubernatorial contest, noting Ariyoshi’s declaration ‘I’m a Hawaiian’ in response to nationality attacks.’
• Fresno Court Restrains Nisei Farmers League, page 1. A Fresno Superior Court judge issued a temporary restraining order against the Nisei Farmers League, barring it from harassing United Farm Workers members. The UFW alleges the league used an unlicensed private patrol system to hamper organizing efforts.
• Democrats Improve Washington State House Control, page 1. Washington State Democrats expanded their majority in the state House, with Rep. Richard Kishimoto losing his seat to a Vancouver educator. Other Nikkei candidates in the state, including Paul Shinoda and John Eng, had mixed results.
• Liem Eng Tuai Loses State High Court Bid, page 1. Incumbent judge Horowitz defeated challenger Liem Eng Tuai, former Seattle city council president, in a Washington state supreme court race by a large margin. Horowitz, who can only serve one term due to mandatory retirement age, campaigned on experience.
• Matayoshi in Narrow Win for Big Island Mayoralty, page 1. Councilman Herbert T. Matayoshi narrowly won election as mayor of the Big Island, defeating State Rep. Wing Kong Chong. Matayoshi, son of pioneer Issei physician Zenko Matayoshi, will complete the unexpired term of Mayor Shunichi Kimura.
• Hawaii’s First Filipino Mayor Elected in Kauai, page 1. Eduardo E. Malapit, 41, became the first Filipino mayor in Hawaii state history, defeating his opponent by 208 votes in Kauai. Voters also rejected a measure to extend the mayoral term from two to four years.
• Republican Bannai Assesses Narrow Win, page 1. Assemblyman Paul T. Bannai narrowly held onto his seat in the newly reapportioned 53rd district, which leans heavily Democratic. Bannai attributed his win to extra campaigning in precincts from his old district.
• Rep. Ryan Still Denies He Uttered Epithet, page 1. Rep. Leo Ryan continued to deny using a racial slur referring to Pearl Harbor during a talk at San Mateo High School. San Mateo JACL has been unable to meet with Ryan to resolve the dispute despite a teacher’s confirmation of the incident.
• Oil Crisis Exposes Japan’s Weakness as Economic Force: Reischauer in Talk to Bankers Confab, page 1. Former U.S. Ambassador Edwin Reischauer told an American Bankers Association convention that the oil embargo exposed Japan’s vulnerability due to its dependence on outside fuel sources. He noted Japanese optimism remains despite the crisis, based on faith in continued Western economic cooperation.
• Reischauer Continued, page 3. Continuing coverage of Edwin Reischauer’s remarks identifies Japan as Asia’s ‘problem of the present’ and China as the ‘problem of the future,’ urging closer U.S.-China ties. He also criticized Japan’s unwise investment concentration in Waikiki and faulted the U.S. for not informing Japan about Kissinger’s Peking visit.
• Witnesses Back Vietnam Students, page 3. A former U.S. government official testified that six Vietnamese students seeking political asylum would face near-certain imprisonment if forced to return to South Vietnam. Witnesses described torture of political prisoners there for activities such as attending peace rallies.
• Chicanos Criticize Saxbe Plan to Deport a Million Illegals, page 3. Leaders of CASA, a Los Angeles group serving illegal aliens from Latin America, accused Attorney General Saxbe of fomenting anti-immigrant hysteria similar to past decades. Immigration commissioner Leonard Chapman estimated 6 million illegal aliens are mainly working in big cities for industrial jobs rather than agricultural work.
• News Capsules, page 4. A compilation of brief news items covers awards given to Seattle’s Dorothy and Fred Cordova for Filipino youth work, education news about students studying in Japan, and business appointments including Hiroshi Kawai at Sumitomo Bank. Also included are radio-TV notes about George Takei’s upcoming PBS role.

Community

• 1,000 Attend Kickoff Dinner for Japanese American Cultural & Community Center, page 1. Over 1,000 people attended a kickoff dinner at the Biltmore Hotel for the $4.5 million Japanese American Cultural & Community Center in Little Tokyo. Dr. Franklin D. Murphy and Victor Carter spoke, with half the funding goal expected to come from Japan.
• School Survey, page 2. The annual ethnic student count in Denver public schools shows the number of Oriental students increased from last year despite an overall enrollment drop. There are 184 teachers of Oriental background in the district.
• Ariyoshis: New First Family, page 3. A profile of Gov.-elect George Ariyoshi’s family details their move to Washington Place, including bringing a traditional Japanese furo tub, and the challenges of maintaining normalcy for their three children. Mrs. Ariyoshi, a trained ceramicist, hopes to promote multi-ethnic cultural programs as Hawaii’s First Lady.
• Hawaii Today, by Richard Gima, page 3. A roundup column covers various Hawaii news items including a judicial sentencing of a former bank manager for embezzlement, education department issues regarding course access, student violence concerns at schools, and police force resolutions against horse race gambling legalization. Also includes notes on Sam Hironaka’s promotion and university regent resignations.
• Reedley JACL Float Wins Again, page 3. Reedley JACL’s ‘Noah’s Ark’ float, designed by chapter members, won first place in the service club-churches category at the Reedley Fiesta parade. The chapter also sold teriyaki beef on a stick to raise funds for community programs.
• Edison Uno to Speak at San Diego Dinner-Dance, page 3. Edison T. Uno, who lectures on Asian American studies at San Francisco State and Stanford, will be guest speaker at San Diego JACL’s 41st annual installation dinner-dance. Vernon Yoshioka was elected to serve his third term as chapter president.
• 150 Hear Mineta at Eden Township Inaugural, page 3. Congressman-elect Norman Mineta made his first public appearance since winning election at the Eden Township JACL-JAYs installation dinner attended by about 150 people. Shig Arai was installed as the new chapter president and Aki Hasegawa received the Silver Pin for distinguished service.
• Cal Med Students, page 3. A California Medical Association ethnic survey found Asian Americans ‘over-represented’ in California medical schools relative to their share of the state population. The survey tracked enrollment percentages across ethnic groups.
• City of Carson Cites Mrs. Kawagoe, Mrs. Kawai, page 3. The City of Carson held its first distinguished citizens award banquet, honoring five winners including Helen Kawagoe, city clerk, and Ruth Kawai, active in PTA groups. Rep. Glenn Anderson was the guest speaker at the event.
• Milwaukee JACLers Set for Holiday Folk Fair, page 3. Milwaukee JACL members will staff a booth at the Holiday Folk Fair at the new MECCA Building featuring chrysanthemum displays, bonsai, and ikebana. JAYs will also perform a Japanese folk dance at the Pabst Beer Gardens children’s festival.
• Christmas Party Planned by Milwaukee JACL, page 3. Milwaukee JACL will hold a potluck supper and program on Dec. 8 at International Institute, with a slide presentation on relocation camps planned. Members are asked to bring canned food items for Christmas food baskets.
• Boyle Heights Jewish Landmark Sold for $1 Million as Home for Nikkei Aged, page 3. The 52-year-old Jewish Home for the Aged in Boyle Heights has been sold for $1 million to become the Japanese Home for the Aged, announced by Fred Wada, chairman of the Keiro Nursing Home board. The new board will include members from City View Hospital, Keiro Nursing Home, and Minami Keiro.
• Thai Shootout, page 3. Los Angeles police sought Vailop Thamrongaratnath, a Thai national, in connection with a shootout at Siam Hollywood Restaurant that left three people dead and two wounded. Among the victims was Punsa Sosothinkul, a prominent member of the local Thai community.
• 3rd Suicide Hits Family in One Year, page 4. Keiko Sakamoto, 26, fell to her death from the Golden Gate Bridge, becoming the third member of her family to commit suicide within a year. Her sister and father had both previously taken their own lives in Tokyo earlier that year.
• Local Scene: Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, page 4. A roundup of community news briefs covers an Oriental Service Center Christmas dinner-dance, UCLA Asian American Studies Center job openings, and a new Japanese American Senior Citizens organization in Monterey Park. Also noted are a Chicago blood drive and a San Francisco meeting on nuclear weapons in Japanese ports.
• Radio Li’l Tokyo to Hold Dec. 24 Dance, page 4. Manny Harmon’s orchestra will entertain at Radio Li’l Tokyo’s 22nd Anniversary Ball at the Los Angeles Hilton Hotel. Matao Uwate, who began the Sunday morning Japanese radio show in 1952, organized the event with door prizes from various sponsors.

JACL

• Delano-born Nisei Wall St. Economist Sam Nakagama to Address CCDC Convention Banquet, page 1. Sam Nakagama, a Nisei economist working on Wall Street, will be the keynote speaker at the CCDC Convention banquet at T’ang Restaurant. The convention will also install new officers including Judge Mikio Uchiyama as governor and feature workshops on Asian American studies and farm labor issues.
• Nat’l Faces Year-End Cash Flow Ebb, by Harry Honda, page 1. JACL’s National Board met in San Francisco facing a new $562,900 budget and a year-end cashflow problem with fixed disbursements exceeding estimated income by $60,000. The board discussed membership growth strategies, new chapter development, and controversy over the hiring of a program development officer.
• College Fund-Raiser Joins Nat’l JACL Staff as Program Development Officer, page 1. Ray H. Bendiner, 34, was appointed JACL program development officer at $18,000 per year despite board criticism over hiring inconsistencies. Bendiner previously worked as a fund-raiser for Swarthmore College, Georgetown University, and the University of Pennsylvania.
• NHK Offers JACL 10 Million Yen, page 1. JACL will be the first recipient of ¥10 million ($33,000) from a fund established by the Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK) for a proposed documentary film promoting U.S.-Japan goodwill. The fund was established after NHK sold its downtown Tokyo offices.
• New Chapter Areas Cited in Staff Report, page 1. A JACL staff report identifying areas with substantial Nikkei population as potential sites for new chapters was accepted by the National Board. High priority areas include Baltimore, Miami, Toledo, and Fort Worth-Dallas among others.
• Thank You, by Katsuma Mukaeda and George Doizaki, page 4. The Board of Directors and Campaign Committee of the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center thank supporters for the overwhelming turnout at the Kickoff Banquet. They request continued support and ideas for the organization and makeup of the planned cultural center.

Commentary

• Political Takeover in Hawaii?, page 2. An editorial discusses the irony of Republicans fielding Nikkei candidates in Hawaii even as Democrats dominate, suggesting a political ‘takeover’ by Japanese Americans in both parties. It reflects on the broader significance of Nikkei political success in the state.
• Let’s Get the Facts First, Madame!, by Togo Tanaka, page 2. Togo Tanaka, a Community Redevelopment Agency commissioner, responds to criticism from columnist Kats Kunitsugu regarding his role and knowledge of Little Tokyo redevelopment. He defends his record and criticizes her for not printing a correction after he clarified the facts with her directly.
• Angel Island, page 2. A letter writer seeks help from the Japanese American community in researching a history of the WWII detention camp on Angel Island. The writer notes the irony that Japanese Americans were being evacuated from San Francisco while Japanese POWs were being processed there.
• The Elections of 1976, by Bill Hosokawa, page 2. Bill Hosokawa’s column reviews the historic 1974 elections, highlighting Norman Mineta’s election to Congress from San Jose as the first mainland Japanese American in Congress, alongside George Ariyoshi’s election as Hawaii’s first Japanese American governor. He credits Mike Masaoka for mentoring and encouraging Mineta’s political career.
• The American Way, by Tom Hibino, page 4. Tom Hibino criticizes Little League Baseball’s decision to ban foreign teams from World Series competition, citing past controversies including accusations against Taiwan’s team. He argues the decision contradicts American ideals of sportsmanship and fair play.

In-Depth

• JACL-Sansei Study Tour: Hiroshima – The Turning Point, by Carole Morita, page 2. A Fresno State student recounts her experiences on the 1974 JACL Sansei Study Tour to Japan, describing the contrast between traditional and Western influences she observed. She reflects deeply on her visit to Hiroshima and her developing understanding of Japanese history and her own heritage.

Arts & Entertainment

• Christianity in Feudal Japan, by Jim Henry, page 4. A book review covers the history of Christian missionaries in feudal Japan, from Francis Xavier’s 1549 arrival to the brutal persecution following the Shimabara Rebellion of 1637-38. The review praises the author’s vivid writing style while criticizing the use of untranslated foreign words in the text.

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