A 1976 summer issue: JAY convention, Japan’s debts and a deportation case

Vol. 83, No. 10, September 3, 1976. 4 pages. View this issue

Jim Murakami’s column opened this four-page issue with the National JAY Convention, held Aug. 10-15 at Concordia College in the Twin Cities. About 110 young JACLers attended, and Murakami wrote of meeting the National Youth Assembly to hear their concerns. Also on the front page: the National JACL Executive Committee meeting set for Sept. 11-12, Japan’s completed reparations payments to 11 Asian countries, and the case of Takahisa Ogawa, whose American wife was murdered in San Diego and who was ordered to leave the country.

The commentary page includes Harry Honda on politics in Japan, Bill Hosokawa’s quiz about Japan, and a letter from Laura Weglyn on reparations. Page 3 carries scholarship news and Robert Kirsch’s Los Angeles Times review of Frank Chuman’s book The Bamboo People. Page 4 notes a 17-ton Korean friendship bell arriving at Long Beach.

What’s in this issue

Community

• Marin JACL aids library display, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Marin County Japanese Americans are saluting the Bicentennial with a cultural program and historic display at the Marin County Library Fall Festival. The display includes photographs and documents gathered by Marin County JACL honoring early Issei settlers.
• $3,500 donated for Pioneer Center van, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Oshokuji-Kai group presented a $3,500 check to the Pioneer Center to buy a van for its elderly nutrition program in Little Tokyo. The donation was celebrated at a luau attended by over 350 people.
• Hawaii races, by P.C. Staff, page 1. At least 80 Japanese Americans filed for the Hawaii state primary ballot, including candidates for Congress, state legislature and county councils. Several Nikkei candidates are running for major offices including U.S. Senate and mayor.
• Bannai appointed to U.S. national UNESCO commission, by P.C. Staff, page 1. State Assemblyman Paul T. Bannai was appointed as the first Asian American to the U.S. National UNESCO Commission representing state and local government. The commission advises the government on UNESCO programs.
• Scholarship, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Santa Barbara JACL presented its first annual chapter scholarships of $100 each to Cindy Suzuki and Paul Honda at a community picnic. The scholarship recipients plan to attend a beauty college and UCLA.
• Shimoura wins Detroit JACL’s $1000 scholarship, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Steven Mark Shimoura, a Southfield Senior High graduate with a 3.69 GPA, won Detroit JACL’s $1,000 scholarship. He will enter the University of Michigan Integrated Premedical-Medical Program.
• Chapter Pulse: August events, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Chapters across the country held picnics, board meetings and community events during August. Highlights include Cincinnati JACL’s busy month and a West Los Angeles JACL barbecue for police officers.
• Kono-Hawaii site of luau for O.C. candidate, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A luau fundraiser will be held Sept. 12 at Kono Hawaii in Santa Ana for Harry Yamamoto, a candidate for Orange County supervisor. Many Japanese American groups are supporting the event.
• Hawaii Scene, by P.C. Staff, page 4. News from Hawaii covers rising tourism from Vietnamese refugees, increased crime on the Big Island, and university appointments. It also notes Kauai’s planned survey of lesser-known attractions.
• Korean friendship bell arrives at Long Beach, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A 17-ton bronze Bell of Friendship, a Bicentennial gift from the Republic of Korea, was unloaded at the Port of Long Beach. It will be dedicated at Fort MacArthur on Oct. 3.

JACL

• Murakami calls EXECOM meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The National JACL Executive Committee will meet Sept. 11-12 at JACL Headquarters, with members asked to submit agenda items. Follow-up on National Convention decisions is expected to be discussed.

National

• Wife slain, President facing deportation, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Takahisa Ogawa, a Japanese man whose American wife was murdered in San Diego, was ordered to leave the United States because his marriage no longer legally exists. He says he hopes to remain and has written to President Ford seeking help.
• Takasugi name finally off ballot, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Under special legislation signed by Gov. Brown, Judge Robert M. Takasugi’s name was removed from the November ballot for L.A. superior court. He had won the primary after being appointed to the U.S. District Court by President Ford.
• Japan finally clears WWII debts, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Japan completed reparations payments to the 11 Asian countries it occupied during 1937-1945, totaling about $1.5 billion in money, goods and services. The Philippines acknowledged final payment, while Japan preferred to call the payments economic aid.
• Inouye career hits low ebb, by Douglas Woo, page 1. Sen. Daniel Inouye’s career is at a low point due to illegal campaign contributions to his 1974 campaign, according to the Honolulu Advertiser. Three cases, including a Gulf Oil contribution handled by his aide Henry Giugni, have damaged his credibility.
• Chicago insurance exec backs Hayakawa effort, by P.C. Staff, page 1. W. Clement Stone, a Chicago insurance executive, has joined S.I. Hayakawa as a fund-raiser for the Republican Senate campaign. Stone says he is convinced Hayakawa is going to win.
• Seek new status for Viet refugees, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A government expert recommended that Congress grant Indochina war refugees permanent resident alien status, which would let them apply for citizenship after five years. About 30 percent of refugees receiving cash aid lacked this status, and a House bill has been introduced.
• L.A. Times critic lauds Chuman’s book for clear history, pulling no punches, by Robert Kirsch, page 3. Los Angeles Times reviewer Robert Kirsch praised Frank Chuman’s book The Bamboo People for its clear and detailed legal history of Japanese Americans. The review traces the story from early immigration through wartime evacuation.

Arts & Entertainment

• HEW grants $250,000 for film ‘Amerasia’, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A six-part series titled Amerasia telling personal stories of Asian Americans is being produced by Educational Film Center for fourth through sixth graders. HEW’s Office of Education granted $250,000 for the project, with completion expected by September 1977.

Sports

• Oliver Award honors Perry Morita, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Perry Morita of Servite High in Anaheim received the 16th annual Oliver Award as outstanding Sansei high school athlete in Southern California. He starred in football and shot put, earned a 3.7 GPA and was student body president.

Commentary

• A Look at Politics in Japan, by Harry Honda, page 2. The arrest of former prime minister Kakuei Tanaka marks a major event in postwar Japanese politics, with successor Takeo Miki resisting calls to resign over the Lockheed scandal. The editorial argues the case offers lessons for Americans about corruption and corporate accountability.
• Reparations, by Laura Weglyn, page 2. A letter writer argues that Japanese Americans deserve monetary reparations for wartime confiscations and losses, rejecting alternatives such as a Pacific Pavilion. The writer calls for compensation including interest on property seized from Issei.
• My Haole Husband, by Betty Kukita Perry, page 2. The writer describes her marriage to her tall Caucasian husband, a Hawaiian-raised Haole, and the cultural differences between them. She reflects on the strength required for a mixed marriage to endure.
• From the Frying Pan: Trivial Quiz About Japan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 2. Columnist Bill Hosokawa presents trivia about Japan, including expensive carp, yoga-practicing ambassador Fumihiko Togo, and Tokyo’s subway system. The quiz also covers causes of death in Japan compared to the United States.
• Some thoughts, by Sachi Seko, page 2. Writing on turning 49, the author reflects on aging, identity and the search for self-understanding. She examines her relationship with her grown son and her family history.
• Japan Today, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A roundup of news from Japan includes unusual consumer products, a bathroom exercise device and a hair razor attached to a vacuum. It also notes a Dial-a-Risque service that has grown popular in Tokyo.

Obituaries

• Dr. Hubert Phillips, 91, protested Evacuation in 1942, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Dr. Hubert Phillips, a Fresno State professor who defended Nisei loyalty during World War II, died Aug. 16 at age 91. He gave the commencement address to Nisei graduates at the Fresno Assembly Center in 1942.

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