Vol. 82, No. 2, January 16, 1976. 4 pages. View this issue
A San Francisco building with a Japanese American past opened this four-page issue. Representatives of the Japanese Salvation Army Redress Committee met with Salvation Army officers about the pending sale of the former training center at Geary and Laguna, a 1930s building the community helped fund. A Fountain Valley school was dedicated to Staff Sgt. Kazuo Masuda of the 442nd, who received the Distinguished Service Cross. The JACL Thomas T. Hayashi Law Scholarship named its honorary committee, the JACL-Blue Shield health plan marked ten years, and a new series on chapter spirit began.
Inside, George Kondo wrote on the Marysville chapter’s picnic and Chie Yokota on Reedley’s chapter-of-the-year award. Mitsu Yashima recalled her wartime radio broadcasts, and Bill Hosokawa described a quick trip from Denver to Tokyo. Saburo Kido and James T. Ishida contributed commentary.
What’s in this issue
Incarceration & Redress
- Imminent Sale of S.F. Kyuseigun Building Sparks Community Interest, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Representatives of the Japanese Salvation Army Redress Committee met with Salvation Army officers about the pending sale of the former training center at Geary and Laguna in San Francisco. The community, which helped fund the 1930s building, seeks to determine its history before the sale proceeds.
National
- HEW’s Own Commitment to Civil Rights Challenged, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A coalition of 57 organizations charged the Department of Health, Education and Welfare with persistent failure to protect minority, women, and handicapped rights. The charges include weakened complaint procedures, delayed regulations, and neglect of discrimination cases.
- Ethnic Survey Irks Some UH Teachers, by P.C. Staff, page 3. University of Hawaii faculty objected to an ethnic identification survey, and some admitted giving incorrect or misleading information. The survey offered 14 ethnic categories.
Community
- Orange County School Dedicated to 442 Hero Sgt. Kazuo Masuda, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A school in Fountain Valley was dedicated in honor of Staff Sgt. Kazuo Masuda, a 442nd soldier awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for valor at Cassino. Gen. Joseph Stilwell and actor Ronald Reagan spoke at the ceremony honoring his sacrifice.
- Walter Fuchigami Named Top Aide to New San Francisco D.A., by P.C. Staff, page 1. Portland JACL member Walter N. Fuchigami was named by San Francisco District Attorney Joseph Freitas Jr. to head the family support bureau. Fuchigami previously led Oregon’s support enforcement division with a staff of 164.
- Marysville JACL Community Picnic Draws 3,000, by George Kondo, page 2. The Marysville Chapter under President Bill Henry plans a full 1976 calendar, anchored by its annual community picnic that draws about 3,000 people. The chapter also coordinates with the local Buddhist church, sponsors exchange students, and takes part in the city’s Bicentennial programs.
- Reedley JACL Named 1975 Central California Chapter of the Year, by Chie Yokota, page 2. Reedley JACL earned the 1975 Central California District Chapter of the Year award through its busy schedule of picnics, scholarships, a food booth at the Reedley Fiesta, and a Japanese American history course. The chapter looks ahead to 2076 with new officers and plans for a Presidential Classroom participant.
JACL
- JACL-Hayashi Law Scholarship Honorary Committee Named, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL Thomas T. Hayashi Law Scholarship announced eight co-chairmen and 50 honorary committee members to honor the late New York Nisei attorney. The fund is administered through the New York JACL office.
- JACL-Blue Shield Health Plan Marks Tenth Year of Service, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL-California Blue Shield group health plan, founded in 1964, now covers about 4,500 subscribers across four districts. Rates rose 11 percent for 1976, with expanded intensive care and major medical benefits.
Military & Veterans
- Mitsu Yashima Recalls Her Propaganda Broadcasts for the U.S. During WW2, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Artist Mitsu Yashima describes her six months of OSS radio broadcasts in 1944-45 urging Japanese women to oppose the war. She reflects on the controversy surrounding a Chronicle story about her wartime work.
Commentary
- Jesuits in Japan: A Distorted Account, by James T. Ishida, page 2. The writer objects to the PC Holiday Issue’s naive article on Jesuits in Japan, arguing it ignores their role as instruments of colonialism. He contends that Japanese rulers used foreign religions only as tools of power.
- JACL Will Not Be Intimidated, by Saburo Kido, page 2. Kido, writing in an earlier Timely Topics column, affirms JACL’s commitment to Nisei rights and loyalty to the United States. He says the organization will not be intimidated by critics during wartime pressures.
- Letter: Mitsu Yashima Responds on Tokyo Rose Coverage, by Mitsu Yashima, page 2. Yashima clarifies that her criticism of Japanese American camp treatment was not meant to dismiss their grievances. She explains her wartime motives and says her broadcasts were meant to end the war.
- The Age of Speed, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Hosokawa recounts a whirlwind round trip from Denver to Tokyo for negotiations and describes the high cost of Tokyo’s fine dining and nightlife. He observes the economic strain of inflation and recession in Japan.
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