Mansfield named ambassador to Japan, and Nikkei debate reparations and intermarriage

Vol. 84, No. 13, April 8, 1977. 8 pages. View this issue

President Carter’s choice of Mike Mansfield as the next U.S. ambassador to Japan, instead of Mike Masaoka as had been hoped, led the front page. Nearby stories covered a dinner for Sen. S. I. Hayakawa that drew nearly 1,400 people, the Wendy Yoshimura appeal, and a JACL Eastern District questionnaire on individual reparation payments. The opinion pages carried a heated exchange over intermarriage. Bill Hosokawa denounced Jon Inouye’s column, while Gordon Honda and Mary Ann Wakasugi Wight also wrote in reply. Dick Sakamoto and Dr. Frank Sakamoto wrote on reparations.

Other pages have a Wayne Horiuchi column on the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, an Iva Toguri Committee update on the Tokyo Rose myth, and Joe Oyama on how Marin County families coped with the drought. Chapter news came from Berkeley, Fremont, Fresno, San Jose and Tulare County. Sports notes covered Lenn Sakata’s tryout with the Milwaukee Brewers and the JANBA bowling tournament. Farewell to Manzanar won film awards.

What’s in this issue

National

• Mansfield Chosen as Next Ambassador to Japan Instead of Masaoka, by P.C. Staff, page 1. President Carter selected Mike Mansfield, former Senate Majority Leader, as the next U.S. ambassador to Japan rather than Mike Masaoka as had been hoped. Mansfield has long championed close U.S.-Japan relations and urged continued American military presence in Japan.
• Right of Petition in Japan Extended to Foreign Nationals, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Foreign nationals may now travel to Japan to file petitions with the Diet, following a decision prompted by Harvard professor Julian Gresser. The petition was aimed at intervening against a planned crude oil transhipment station in Micronesia.
• East Coast Nikkei Less Inclined Toward Individual Reparation Payments, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A JACL Eastern District questionnaire on reparations drew responses showing a majority favoring individual payments, though preferences were less uniform than in the Pacific Southwest. Respondents also ranked which groups should be eligible, with evacuees detained in camps ranking highest.
• Roybal’s Bill to Aid A-Bomb Victims in U.S., by P.C. Staff, page 2. Rep. Edward Roybal reintroduced HR 1994 to provide U.S. payment for medical treatment of atomic bomb injuries. Japanese doctors from the Hiroshima Institute also visited Los Angeles to study health problems among A-bomb survivors in the U.S.

Community

• Nikkei Turnout Tops 1,400 for Hayakawa Dinner, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sen. S. I. Hayakawa told nearly 1,400 attendees at a Los Angeles dinner that anti-Japanese discrimination is waning, citing recent electoral gains by Japanese Americans. He outlined his early legislative efforts and his own gratitude to earlier generations of Japanese Americans.
• Nisei Week and Other Festivals Scheduled, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The 37th Nisei Week Festival in Los Angeles has been set a week later than usual, with the coronation ball and ondo parade in August. Other spring festivals in Monterey Park and San Francisco’s Nihonmachi were also announced.
• Nikkei Listed in Canary Island Crash, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Pan American released passenger lists for the March 26 Canary Island collision, which included four Nikkei among the dead and injured. Flight attendants Mari Asari and Sachiko Hirano were among the 570 killed.
• Japanese Custom of Koden Noted in Syndicated Column, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A Chicago woman corrected syndicated columnist Ann Landers after she advised sending money instead of flowers to a bereaved family. Landers acknowledged the Japanese custom of koden, money gifts presented at funerals, as a proper gesture.
• An Heirloom from Hokazono: Gold Watch for ‘Son’, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Rudy Mitsuru Hashimoto recalled his foster father, Issei labor leader Naoichi Hokazono, after a stained glass window honoring Hokazono was dedicated at the Colorado State Capitol. Hashimoto carries a gold watch from the Japanese Association of Colorado as a cherished memento.
• Japan Tour of Gardens Attracts Interest, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A St. Louis JACL chapter tour of Japanese gardens drew thirty participants, and the article describes notable gardens in the Kyoto area. The piece is a brief note on the tour’s appeal.
• Berkeley JACL Donates to Heart Association, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Berkeley JACL presented a $100 check to the Alameda County Heart Association from proceeds of its February 12 Heart Fund dance held in memory of Edison Uno. Chapter president Paul Takata and past president Bea Kono made the presentation.
• Fremont JACL Family Bowling Night, by Walt Hashimoto, page 6. Fremont JACL held a family bowling night on March 20 with 56 members and families attending. Fourteen prizes were awarded across age divisions for top game and series scores.
• Fresno JACL Seeks Help Evaluating Textbooks, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Fresno School District asked the Fresno JACL for Nikkei volunteers to evaluate textbooks for discriminatory material. Chapter president Norton Nishioka said no special training is required.
• Eden Township JACL Hosts Northern California AAYs Get-Together, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Eden Township JACL Asian American Youths are hosting a district get-together on April 16 at Lake Elizabeth. Activities include new games, dinner, and dance instruction, with a $7.50 registration fee.
• San Jose JACL Offers Scholarships Through Local Counselors, by P.C. Staff, page 7. San Jose JACL announced ten scholarships administered through Santa Clara County public school counselors, with applications due April 25. Chapter scholarship chairperson Helen Mineta explained the eligibility restrictions for the awards.
• Tulare County JACL Seeks Information on Early Issei Workers, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Tom Shimasaki of the Tulare County JACL requests information about Issei labor contractors who brought Japanese workers to the Visalia and Tulare areas in the 1890s. The information will be used in the chapter newsletter.
• Tom Sutow Honored for 29 Years of Government Service Without Sick Leave, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Salt Lake JACL past president Tom Sutow was recognized for 29 years of civil service at Hill Air Force Base without using any sick leave. He is an item manager in the Stock Fund Missile Section and plans to retire at 70.
• Hawaii Notes: Senator Inouye Pushes Communications and Maritime Legislation, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Sen. Inouye supported deleting a provision treating Hawaii as an international point for communications rates and introduced maritime service legislation. The notes also cover a papaya marketing proposal from Castle & Cooke and honors for engineer Kazu Hayashida.

Incarceration & Redress

• State Appeals Wendy Yoshimura Case; Bail Issues Arise, by Lee Ruttle, page 1. A post-trial hearing in the Wendy Yoshimura case produced rulings on new bail requirements, including title searches and time deposits for pledged funds. Larson must file an appeal within ten days, and Wendy’s defense funds are exhausted, leaving a public defender to continue the appeal.
• Iva Toguri Committee Works to Dispel Tokyo Rose Myth, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Iva Toguri Committee urged JACL chapters in a March 6 memorandum to continue re-educating the public about the Tokyo Rose myth despite her presidential pardon. Committee chairman Dr. Clifford Uyeda said mail indicates outdated 1949 attitudes still persist.

JACL

• JAL-JACL Cultural Heritage Fellowship Applications Due April 20, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The deadline for 1977 JAL-JACL Cultural Heritage Fellowships to Japan has been extended to April 20. Four fellowships for summer study and travel in Japan will be awarded, based on desire to study in the land of one’s ancestors.
• National JACL Board Agenda Summary (Concluding Half), by P.C. Staff, page 2. The concluding portion of the National JACL Board’s March 18-20 agenda covers committee reports on Iva Toguri, JARP, the endowment fund, constitutional revisions, and reorganization. It also documents the selection of Karl Nobuyuki as national director and resolutions of commendation.

Military & Veterans

• Sparky Asks Seal Hunt Halt, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Sen. Spark Matsunaga introduced a concurrent resolution urging Canada to reassess its policy permitting the killing of newborn Harp seals. He warned the increased 1977 quota could destroy the seal herds.

Commentary

• How Some Nisei and Sansei Are Coping with the Great Drought of 77, by Joe Oyama, page 3. Joe Oyama reports on how Marin County Nisei and Sansei families are conserving water during California’s severe drought. Families describe water-saving measures, from shorter showers to reusing wash water on gardens.
• Graduate Schools, by Dr. Frank Sakamoto, page 4. Dr. Frank Sakamoto writes that some southern state graduate schools have admitted no Oriental Americans in the last twenty years, drawing a parallel to past discrimination. He raises the question of how this bears on reparations discussions.
• Reparations, by Dick Sakamoto, page 4. Dick Sakamoto argues that reparations should be paid as individual damage claims to those who were evacuated rather than to organizations. He says organizations controlling funds create cushy jobs for a few.
• Retirement Credit, by Hiro Nakaji, page 4. Hiro Nakaji announces the Committee for Internment Credit is preparing a bill to obtain federal civil service retirement credit for Japanese Americans interned during WWII. He urges wholehearted community support.
• Today & Tomorrow, by Chizuko Crocker, page 4. Chizuko Crocker, a Japan-born woman married to an American, describes the isolation and occupational disadvantages of Japanese-born women in the U.S. She asks the PC to broaden its coverage beyond Nisei concerns.
• Intermarriage Letter Responding to Jon Inouye, by Mary Ann Wakasugi Wight, page 4. Mary Ann Wakasugi Wight rejects Jon Inouye’s argument that intermarriage threatens Japanese Americans as an ethnic disaster. She contends the Ainu comparison is inapt and that Sansei lack Japanese language and culture for reasons unrelated to race.
• Intermarriage and Cultural Identity, by Gordon Honda, page 4. Gordon Honda argues Jon Inouye confuses culture with race, noting that intermarriage does not automatically erase cultural heritage. He proposes that the shared story of immigration and struggle is the more important element to preserve.
• Roots, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A reader writes that a Japanese American version of Alex Haley’s Roots is unlikely to match its emotional power, and Jon Inouye clarifies he meant comparable literature rather than an identical work. The exchange appears within the letters section.
• On Enunciation, by Joseph Halpin, page 4. Joseph Halpin, a Caucasian JACL member, objects to an article describing a sixth grade teacher who mispronounced a Japanese American’s name, arguing most Caucasians take care to learn correct pronunciations. The editor responds in agreement.
• Plain Speaking: It’s Shikata Ga Nai Time, by Wayne Horiuchi, page 5. Wayne Horiuchi’s column addresses Japanese American attitudes and the need for active civic engagement. The column text is partially obscured in the OCR.
• From the Frying Pan: The Intermarriage Question, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa denounces Jon Inouye’s column ‘A Major Ethnic Disaster’ as racist and insulting to JACL members of mixed heritage. He argues the editor should have recognized the column’s offensive nature and invites comparison with how such views would be received if reversed.
• The Leadership Conference, by Wayne Horiuchi, page 5. Wayne Horiuchi describes the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, a coalition of 134 organizations of which JACL is a member. He highlights its leadership, its track record on landmark civil rights legislation, and its support for reparations.
• Canadian Reactions to PC Writers, by Kay Ohashi, page 5. Kay Ohashi, a Montreal columnist, responds to a Mamoru Iga essay on Japanese national character, questioning its use of terms like nihonkyo and amulet words. She argues Japanese democracy need not mirror American style.

Sports

• Over 175 Teams Bowl in Third Annual JANBA Tournament, by Kayo Hayakawa, page 7. The third annual Japanese American Nisei Bowling Association tournament drew over 175 teams to San Francisco’s L & L Castle Lanes from March 7-12. Individual, team, and doubles winners in men’s and women’s divisions were listed.
• Brewers Try Out Lenn Sakata at Second Base, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Lenn Sakata, a 23-year-old Gonzaga graduate from Hawaii, tried out for the second base job with the Milwaukee Brewers in spring camp. Coach Frank Howard called him the strongest player in the Brewers’ system.

Arts & Entertainment

• Wataridori Film Showing Scheduled in San Diego, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The award-winning documentary Wataridori, tracing the history of Japanese in the United States, will be shown April 16 at the Nisei VFW Hall in National City. Filmmaker Bob Nakamura will introduce the film and answer questions.
• TV Film Farewell to Manzanar Wins National Awards, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The TV film Farewell to Manzanar, starring Yuki Shimoda and Nobu McCarthy, won the Gold Hugo Award at the Chicago International Film Festival and a Gabriel Award. The brief notice covers the honors.

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