Senator Inouye on the draft, plus a new JACL chapter and director

Vol. 84, No. 16, April 29, 1977. 8 pages. View this issue

Senator Daniel Inouye’s call for some form of military draft led this eight-page issue. He told a military group that compulsory universal training may be necessary because the world situation was turbulent and the armed forces were weakening. The front page also reported that Diablo Valley JACL held its organizational meeting, and about 200 people gathered in Reno for the JACL Tri-District conference. San Diego County Supervisor Lee Taylor apologized to Beverley Yip after using a racial slur at an economic conference.

In the commentary pages, Jon Inouye wrote about new national director Karl Nobuyuki, and Tom Taketa questioned how Nisei loyalty was treated. Bill Hosokawa discussed The Tale of Genji, and Roy M. Nishikawa remembered Saburo Kido. Elsewhere, mainland veterans of the 442nd planned a European tour for the Liberation Day rites at Bruyeres, and a Fountain Valley school was named for Kazuo Masuda.

What’s in this issue

National

• Inouye Urges Military Draft, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sen. Daniel Inouye said some form of military draft or compulsory universal training may be necessary because the world situation is turbulent and U.S. armed forces are deteriorating. He noted such recommendations would be unpopular but argued America cannot let its military weaken.

Community

• Minority Enrollment in L.A. Schools Rises to Two-Thirds; Asians Near 6%, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Minority student enrollment in Los Angeles City Schools rose to 63 percent in 1976-77 according to the district’s annual racial survey. Asian and Pacific Islander students make up about 5.9 percent of total enrollment, with a list of schools having sizeable Asian enrollment.
• Supervisor Apologizes for Race Slur, by P.C. Staff, page 1. San Diego County Supervisor Lee Taylor used the term ‘Japs’ at an economic conference while discussing Japanese companies, and initially refused to apologize. He later formally apologized to Beverley Yip of the Union of Pan Asian Communities after acknowledging his error.
• Oakland Race for Mayor Into Runoff, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Superior Judge Lionel Wilson and school board president Dave Tucker will face each other in a May 17 Oakland mayoral runoff. In Berkeley, Chinese American councilwoman Ying Lee Kelly narrowly lost her seat.
• White River Valley Hosts PNWDC Spring Quarterly, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Pacific Northwest District Council met in Kent, Washington, where Karl Nobuyuki was introduced as JACL’s new national executive director and Mike Honda discussed reparations priorities. Several appointments and a Seattle JACL spring tour were also announced.
• State Shelves Nisei Cannery Row Plan, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The State Coastal Commission denied a building permit for Tak Enomoto’s proposed motel and shops on Monterey’s Cannery Row. The commission said the project should wait until a special Cannery Row plan is adopted.
• 35-Year Teacher Retiring in June, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Frances Kitagawa, a charter member of Venice-Culver JACL, will be honored at a May 21 retirement testimonial after 35 years of teaching. The last 22 years were at Playa del Rey school.
• Restaurateur Leo Goto’s Main Menu: Take Time to Help Others, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Denver restaurateur Leo Goto received the April Community Volunteer Award for his volunteer work at Children’s Hospital, which began after his son was treated there. He has also contributed to Asian community projects and senior citizen holiday feasts.
• New York JACLer to Lead Theater Arts Tour in Japan, by Ruby Y. Schaar, page 3. Ruby Schaar of New York JACL describes the two-week theater arts tour of Japan departing October 24, featuring Kabuki, Noh, Bunraku, and Takarazuka performances. The tour emphasizes everyday experiences like local restaurants, subways, and street vendors alongside cultural performances.
• Fuji Hour Starts Fourth Year, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Seabrook JACL’s Sunday evening Japanese radio broadcast ‘Fuji Hour’ on WSNJ enters its fourth season. Volunteers producing the show are profiled along with its funding through an IBM community service grant.
• Orange County School Named for Nisei GI Ready for Garden, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Kazuo Masuda Elementary School in Fountain Valley was dedicated to a 442nd soldier awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Fundraising is underway for a memorial Japanese garden on the school grounds.
• Nikkei Aims to Row Across Ocean, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Fort Worth, Texas resident Steve Kurachi finished building a homemade 17-foot rowboat intended for a 3,000-mile North Atlantic crossing. He estimates the trip will take three to five months.
• Goro George Asaki Appointed to Maryland State School Board, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Goro George Asaki, an electrical engineer and longtime Ann Arundel County school board member, was appointed to the Maryland State School Board. He served in the Army during World War II after being interned at Jerome.

JACL

• Diablo Valley JACL Formed, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A new JACL chapter covering central and east Contra Costa County held its organizational meeting April 19 and submitted a charter petition to the Northern California-Western Nevada district council. Officers pro-tem were named to lead the chapter.
• 200 in Reno for JACL Tri-District, by P.C. Staff, page 1. About 200 attended the JACL Tri-District conference in Reno, where leaders discussed rural chapter recruitment, Sansei involvement, and school integration and the Bakke case. Secretary of State March Fong Eu spoke at the Saturday banquet about the legacy of the 442nd.

In-Depth

• Powerless Position Helped Shape Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Dr. Harry Kitano, UCLA sociologist, lectured in New York on six variables that shaped Nisei identity, including body, names, language, origin history, religion, and nationality. He argued the Nisei’s powerless position during the Depression and evacuation strongly influenced their character.

Arts & Entertainment

• Nikkei Family on TV Documentary, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Seattle Public TV documentary ‘Full Moon Lunch’ followed the Sugiura family of bento caterers in Japan. Filmmaker John Nathan spent three weeks with the family studying their daily life and traditional box lunch preparation.
• Pianist Ken Noda, 14, Hailed as Great Composer-Musician, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Ken Noda, 14, has written three operas and performed as a solo pianist with major orchestras. His first opera won a National Composers Contest and is now part of the New York City Opera repertoire.

Military & Veterans

• Mainland 442nd Vets Plan Europe Tour, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mainland veterans of the 442nd RCT are sponsoring a 15-day European tour to coincide with the Liberation Day rites at Bruyeres, France on October 16. The tour covers France, Switzerland, and Italy.

Commentary

• A Corner for Our Guests: The Question of Nisei Loyalty, by Tom Taketa, Ph.D., page 4. Tom Taketa criticizes a Carter transition team member for questioning the loyalty of a Japanese American candidate, citing the service and sacrifice of Nisei soldiers during World War II. He argues JACL and Nisei groups should demand an apology and meeting with the President.
• Bringing It All Together, by Jon Inouye, page 4. Jon Inouye reflects on conversation with new JACL National Director Karl Nobuyuki and his goal of uniting divided factions within the organization. He expresses hope that Nobuyuki can maintain integrity and optimism while leading the League.
• Letters to the Editor: Amnesty by Carter; Ethnic Disaster, by T.S. Shtraki; Yosh Machida, page 4. Letters respond to President Carter’s amnesty for Vietnam War resisters and to a prior column on intermarriage. Writers offer opposing views on the amnesty’s political impact and on America as a society united by shared ideals.
• Springtime of the Mind, by Sachi Seko, page 5. Sachi Seko reminisces about her late friend Kame Toyota, whose garden advice shaped the author’s Salt Lake City yard. The essay links the removal of snow-in-summer plants to letting go of the past.
• The Tale of Genji, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa discusses Lady Murasaki’s classic The Tale of Genji and new Seidensticker translation, reflecting on whether Japanese Americans must feel drawn to Japanese arts. He concludes with a call for humor within the community.
• Our Cousins in Canada, by Tom Hibino, page 5. Tom Hibino describes Canada’s Centennial 77 celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of the first Japanese immigrant settling in Canada. He draws parallels between the Japanese Canadian and Japanese American experiences.

Obituaries

• A Tall Mountain Among the Tallest: Saburo Kido, by Roy M. Nishikawa, page 4. Roy Nishikawa pays tribute to Saburo Kido as a man of principle, courage, and vision and one of JACL’s greatest lay leaders. He notes Kido’s influence on the leadership that achieved JACL’s major accomplishments.

Sports

• Yoichi Tomita Wins NCAA Parallel Bars Title, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Cal State Long Beach gymnast Yoichi Tomita won the 1977 NCAA championship on the parallel bars. The junior had qualified in all six events at the Western Regionals.

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