Emperor Hirohito’s U.S. visit and a Japanese Canadian centennial

Vol. 81, No. 17, October 24, 1975. 4 pages. View this issue

Emperor Hirohito’s visit to the United States ran through this four-page issue. Editor Harry Honda gathered notes on press coverage and security, and an editorial considered the handshake and the bow. NHK’s live telecast of the White House dinner drew comments from Nikkei panelists, and the JACL Washington office rebuked New Hampshire Governor Meldrim Thomson for remarks about the visit. On the front page, U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye spoke at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre’s centennial fund dinner in Ontario, touching on Watergate and the wartime incarceration of Japanese Americans.

Also inside: a profile of Utah County Commissioner Yukus Inouye, the JACL teacher’s manual on Japanese American experience, and the 1976 JAL-JACL fellowships. Readers wrote in about a redress survey from E.O. 9066, Inc. and a JACL treasury deficit. Chapter news covered Cleveland scholarship awards, Vernon Yoshioka’s Assembly bid and a groundbreaking for the Japanese Union Church in Little Tokyo.

What’s in this issue

National

• Inouye’s Maiden Speech in Canada Takes Stock of U.S., by P.C. Staff, page 1. U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye addressed the centennial fund dinner of the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre in Ontario, his first speaking engagement in Canada. He reflected on American social changes, Watergate, the wartime incarceration of Japanese Americans, and the nation’s resilience.
• Consumer Agency Now ‘Real Power’, by P.C. Staff, page 1. California consumer affairs chief Taketsugu Takei said his department now has real power after a budget increase from $475,000 to $958,000. New coordinators with citizen activist backgrounds are being hired to work on regulatory boards.
• 1.4 Million Japanese Estimated Overseas, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Latest statistics show about 1,420,000 persons of Japanese ancestry live in 65 countries, with the largest number in Brazil and over 500,000 in the United States. The figures exclude temporary residents such as students and business personnel.
• Asians in L.A. a ‘Strong Magnet’, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Since April 1975, nearly 200,000 Southeast Asian refugees have been admitted to the United States, with Los Angeles County becoming a major resettlement area. The county Commission on Human Relations urged the Board of Supervisors to create a central clearinghouse and improve coordination among resettlement agencies.
• NHK Live Telecast of White House Dinner Includes Comments by CLers, by P.C. Staff, page 1. NHK in Japan aired a 45-minute segment from Los Angeles featuring Nikkei panelists including Frank Chuman, David Ushio, and others reacting to the Imperial visit. Reactions ranged from emotional at the Issei level to mixed among Nisei and Sansei, though all agreed the visit was historically significant.
• N.H. Governor Draws CL Rebuke, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL Washington office criticized New Hampshire Governor Meldrim Thomson for derogatory remarks about Emperor Hirohito’s visit. JACL representative Wayne Horiuchi warned that such comments fuel racial hatred against Japanese Americans who are often confused with Japanese nationals.

Community

• Yukus Inouye: Mr. Olympus JACLer County Commissioner Philosophizes, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Utah County Commissioner Yukus Inouye, a JACLer, shares his philosophy on public service and community life in Logan, Utah. The profile highlights his civic work and views on leadership.
• Union Church Breaks Ground for New Sanctuary to Be Three Blocks Away, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Japanese Union Church held a groundbreaking Oct. 19 for a new reinforced concrete sanctuary at Third and San Pedro Streets in Los Angeles. The church, built in 1923 within Little Tokyo, will be cleared for city parking, and the new facility is expected to take about a year to complete.
• California to Publish Opening Prayers of Its First Buddhist Senate Chaplain, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rev. Shoko Masunaga, Rinban of the Sacramento Betsuin, concluded his one-year term as the first Buddhist chaplain of the California State Senate. His opening meditations will be published in a booklet by the Senate.
• Gardeners Federation to Mark 20th Anniversary, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Southern California Gardeners Federation will celebrate its 20th anniversary during the Nov. 7-9 convention of the Landscape Gardeners Alliance of California in Los Angeles. Over 1,000 delegates are expected for seminars, workshops, and social programs.
• Tami Ogata: 20-Year Public Service Recognized, by P.C. Staff, page 3. New York JACLer Tami Ogata was honored by the Hundred Year Association of New York for outstanding contributions to public service. A public health nutritionist since 1952, she was cited for her nutrition and consumerism programs and her work with the Department for the Aging.
• Vernon Yoshioka Opens Bid for State Assembly Seat, by P.C. Staff, page 3. San Diego JACLer Vernon Yoshioka is organizing a campaign to run as a Republican nominee for the 77th Assembly District next year. His community work includes three terms as San Diego JACL president and service on the U.S. Civil Rights Commission.
• Cleveland JACL Scholarship Awards Dinner, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Over 160 people attended the Cleveland JACL scholarship dinner where Laura Fujimura and Kathy Bolick received the chapter and foundation awards. The chapter also presented 22 high school graduates with savings bonds.
• Watsonville-Santa Cruz Gardeners Notes and Central California November Events, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Central California section lists November events including the rescheduled Fremont JACL Issei Appreciation Night and other chapter activities. Calendar items for the Central California region are also noted.
• Fresno Farm Family Receives State Housing Grant, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Tanaka brothers, who farm over 2,500 acres near Lemoore, received a state demonstration housing grant to build an eight-unit family apartment for farmworkers. The project costs about $55,000 and houses 40 people.
• Eagle Scout Award Presented, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Peter Ohtaki Jr. of Menlo Park received his Eagle Scout badge after building the Howard King trail in Big Basin Redwoods State Park for his project. He was also student body president at his high school.
• Calif. Assemblyman Floyd Mori Named to Joint Subcommittee, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Assemblyman Floyd Mori was named to the State Legislature’s joint subcommittee on community development, which seeks to improve interagency coordination. The group will hold interim hearings in San Francisco, Fresno, and Los Angeles.

JACL

• Teacher’s Manual Distributed, by Ben Francisco, page 1. The JACL Ethnic Heritage Project’s resource manual for teachers, The Experience of Japanese Americans, has been distributed to regional offices and district councils. Efforts will continue to promote the manual through chapters and to coordinate ethnic heritage activities after the HEW-funded project ended Sept. 30.
• JAL-JACL Fellowships for ’76 Set, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Information brochures and applications for the 1976 JAL-JACL Cultural Heritage program will be distributed in November. Applicants must be JACL members aged 18 to 26 and agree to write articles and speak publicly about the trip to Japan.

Commentary

• The Emperor’s Visit — Fleeting Glimpses, by Harry Honda, page 1. Editor Harry Honda reports on the Emperor’s U.S. visit, including Japanese press coverage praising the couple’s real selves, the massive media response, and heavy security. He also recounts anecdotes from the trip, from a photographer’s remark in San Diego to the Emperor’s artwork gifts.
• Handshake and the Bow, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The editorial reflects on the Emperor and Empress’s successful two-week state visit to the United States, focusing on the handshake as a notable gesture. It considers what the cross-cultural exchange signified for relations between the two nations.
• Up the Judo Ladder, by N. Nakajima, page 2. A reader from Sheffield Lake, Ohio, comments on a Philadelphia Japanese American woman’s promotion in judo and on a case in which a judge was involved in a killing that went unpunished. The letter questions whether the outcome reflected racial double standards.
• EXECOM Cutback, by Anonymous, page 2. A reader urges the PC to help reduce the JACL National Treasury deficit, estimated at about $30,000, and donates $3 toward a Bail-Out-the-Treasury Fund. The check is being forwarded to National Headquarters.
• Reparations Survey, by Paul Tsuneishi, page 2. E.O. 9066, Inc. responds to the Midwest District reparations survey and outlines its own approach, arguing a redress bill should be introduced quickly and be politically feasible. The group asked members to consider individual reparations, community block grants, or a combination.
• Confidence and Physical Presence, by Dale Shimasaki, page 2. NYCC Chairperson Dale Shimasaki argues that JAYs most need JACLers’ confidence and physical presence at events rather than money. He says supportive attendance at JAYs workshops and functions strengthens both youth and chapters.

Obituaries

• Talented Leaders, by Dea Hayashi, page 3. A tribute honors John Horie of Denver, a bilingual farmer and community leader who helped Japanese American growers sell produce beyond their immediate area and worked to naturalize Issei as citizens. The article describes his teaching of citizenship classes and his service to the greater Denver community.

Military & Veterans

• Ray Y. Yasui Honored for Curriculum Work, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Dr. Ray Y. Yasui, coordinator of curriculum at Cal State-Stanislaus, was profiled for his educational work and his prior service supporting Israel. The article notes his master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Oregon.

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