Canada's wartime law, a Little Tokyo eviction fight and new JACL leadership

Vol. 84, No. 20, May 27, 1977. 12 pages. View this issue

A conference in Hamilton, Ontario, opened steps to repeal the War Measures Act, the law behind the 1942 removal of Japanese Canadians. Speakers Gordon Hirabayashi, Ken Adachi and Walter Tarnopolski compared that experience with the Japanese American one. Joon Inouye reviewed Adachi’s book on page 11. Also on page 1, the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency asked a court to evict JACL from its Sun Bldg. offices, while JACL’s district board held out for adequate space in Little Tokyo.

Elsewhere, Karl Nobuyuki began his column as National Executive Director, Idaho chapters discussed a memorial at Minidoka, and California First Bank launched a JACL-administered scholarship program. Columns came from Bill Hosokawa, Wayne Horiuchi, Chiz Satow and Barry Saiki. Page 10 covered Maxine Hong Kingston’s The Woman Warrior, and page 9 reported on the Seiwa-En garden opening in St. Louis.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

Move underway to repeal law evacuating Canada’s Japanese, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Steps to repeal the War Measures Act were taken at a conference in Hamilton, Ontario, where speakers recalled the wartime evacuation of Japanese Canadians. Participants compared the Canadian experience with that of Japanese Americans.
Idahoans discuss Minidoka memorial, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL chapters in Idaho are informally discussing a memorial honoring evacuees detained at Minidoka during World War II. The camp held nearly 10,000 mostly Pacific Northwest residents.

Community

Governor commutes life sentence of Nisei prisoner, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Washington Gov. Dixy Lee Ray commuted the life sentence of Anthony Ken Takahashi, who was convicted of murder in 1967, making him eligible for parole. The governor cited his rehabilitation and exemplary record at Monroe Reformatory.
Sun Bldg. eviction: CRA asks court to evict JACL from Sun Bldg., by Harry Honda, page 1. The Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency filed an unlawful detainer complaint against JACL, which refused to vacate its Sun Bldg. offices. JACL’s district board voted to resist evacuation until adequate facilities in Little Tokyo were provided.
Vandals crush park pagoda, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Vandals destroyed a 12-foot stone pagoda in Micke Grove Park in Lodi, California, a gift from Lodi’s sister city Kofu, Japan. Repairs are estimated to cost at least $5,000.
216 apply for Nat’l JACL scholarships, by P.C. Staff, page 2. 216 students applied for 16 JACL freshman scholarships this year, with preliminary screening beginning June 1. District council committees will select the top students, with a final judging panel convening in July.
Nisei contractor to build Li’l Tokyo community center, by P.C. Staff, page 3. RST Construction Co. and SyArt Concrete Construction Co. were selected as joint venture builders for the $2.5 million Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in Little Tokyo. The six-floor structure will provide office, meeting, library and exhibit space.
Cal 1st opens Nikkei history room, by P.C. Staff, page 3. California First Bank opened the Japanese American History Room on the ninth floor of its San Francisco headquarters, open to the public free of charge. The repository holds documents including a facsimile of the 1854 Treaty of Kanagawa and wartime camp newspapers.
Asians fight police dept.’s 5′-6″ minimum, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The California Fair Employment Practices Commission may sue the Los Angeles Police Department over its 5’6″ minimum height requirement after complaints from Asian Americans. The commission found no evidence that height was related to police job performance.
W.L.A. Methodists honor Issei pioneers, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Twenty-five Issei members were honored at the 47th anniversary celebration of West Los Angeles United Methodist Church on May 22. The honorees were recognized for their long service to the congregation.
Down to Earth: Karl Nobuyuki, by Karl Nobuyuki, page 4. New National JACL Executive Director Karl Nobuyuki introduces his monthly column, thanking organizations and individuals who supported him. He describes the challenges facing headquarters after a nine-month vacancy in the director post.
No. Calif. Nikkei artists contribute to JACL district legal fund, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Proceeds from the Japanese American Arts and Crafts Exhibit at Mayfield Mall went to the NC-WN District Council legal assistance fund. The fund supports cases involving alleged racial discrimination where counsel is otherwise unavailable.
Mitsubishi Bank and Nisei Business Directory items, by P.C. Staff, page 7. A business feature describes support by the Mitsubishi Bank and related community enterprises. Included are notices about local community service providers.
Miss Gardena Valley JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Lori Tsukashima was selected Miss Gardena Valley JACL on May 7. She is a medical technology major at Cal State Long Beach.
Just About Youth, by Chris Noma, page 8. Northern California youth chapters are gearing up for summer activities after a quiet spring season. The San Francisco chapter plans events, and the NC-WN district council has canceled the youth council’s debt.
Asian women issues cited for confab, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Asian and Pacific caucus identified issues crucial to immigrant women and Asian wives of servicemen for the Washington State Women’s Conference. The caucus also seeks Asian representation at the national conference in Houston.
15,000 view Seiwa-En on opening day, by P.C. Staff, page 9. Nearly 15,000 people attended the May 8 opening of the Seiwa-En Japanese Garden at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis. The Taiko Drummers of San Francisco performed at the festival sponsored by the local JACL.
Bicentennial + 1, by MDC Page Editorial Committee, page 9. The MDC Page Editorial Committee previews the 1977 EDC-MDC biennial convention in Washington, D.C., July 28-31. The committee encourages attendance and notes opportunities to lobby congressmen and visit government sites.

JACL

JACL scholarships receive ‘big boost’, by P.C. Staff, page 1. California First Bank established a continuing scholarship program for Californians of Japanese ancestry, to be administered by JACL. The program will award $1,000 per year to recipients, with one new student named each year until 1980.
PNW to meet at Hood River, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Pacific Northwest District Council will hold its summer quarterly session in Hood River, Oregon, June 11-12, hosted by Mid-Columbia JACL. National Executive Director Karl Nobuyuki will be the dinner speaker.

National

Asian Americans pledge $200,000 to aid Democrats next four years, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Asian American business and community leaders pledged to raise $50,000 a year for the Democratic Party. The effort was tied to the hiring of Joji Konoshima as Asian American affairs coordinator for the Democratic National Committee.
Rep. Shirley Chisholm to speak on Bakke case, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm will be keynote speaker at the EDC/MDC conference closing banquet in Washington, D.C., July 28-31. JACL’s Washington Representative Wayne Horiuchi said she agreed to discuss the Bakke case.

Military & Veterans

Eight finalists selected for JAL cultural heritage fellowships, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Eight finalists were named for the 1977 JAL, JACL, JTBI Cultural Heritage Fellowships to Japan, with four recipients to be chosen after interviews. The awards ceremony will be held June 5 at Stanford University with Mako as speaker.
Nisei in Japan: by Barry Saiki, by Barry Saiki, page 4. Barry Saiki examines why fish prices in Japan rose sharply amid the Soviet 200-mile fishing zone dispute. He explains the long history of the Kuril Islands dispute and Japanese fears of losing fishing rights.

Obituaries

Dakota Wesleyan University honors alumnus Marutani, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Judge William M. Marutani was named Dakota Wesleyan University’s Alumnus of the Year. He is a Pennsylvania Common Pleas judge who was released from a concentration camp before entering DWU in 1942.
Lt. Gen. Charles D. Herron (ret) of Honolulu died April 23, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Lt. Gen. Charles D. Herron, retired, died April 23 and was buried in Crawfordsville, Indiana. He is credited with preventing the evacuation of Japanese from Hawaii in 1942.

Arts & Entertainment

Frank Chin’s ‘Gee Pop’ premieres in Los Angeles, by P.C. Staff, page 2. East West Players premieres Frank Chin’s play Gee Pop June 29-30 with a July 4 performance. The play blends childhood cowboy heroes with Charlie Chan characters.
Memoirs of childhood in Stockton turns best-seller, by P.C. Staff, page 10. Maxine Hong Kingston’s memoir The Woman Warrior, about her Chinese American girlhood in Stockton, became a bestseller and won the National Book Critics Circle Award. The book was praised for its brilliant, poetic style.

Commentary

Tri-District Confab, by Molly K. Yamashita, page 4. Reno JACL president Molly Yamashita thanks organizers and participants of the Northern California-Western Nevada District Council conference held in Reno. She describes how her small chapter was impressed by the professionalism of the event.
Anti-Asian Bias, by Akira Kubota, page 4. Professor Akira Kubota supports calls for a Congressional hearing on discrimination against Asian Americans in professional occupations. He notes that no Asian American has been appointed to senior foreign affairs positions such as Assistant Administrator.
Swim Statistics, by Naomi Kashiwabara, page 4. A letter writer calculates that 1976 champion Brian Goodell would have beaten Hironoshin Furuhashi’s 1500-meter record by a wide margin. The writer credits modern scientific swimming techniques for the improvement.
America’s weakness, by Nobu Nakajima, page 4. A reader responds to a previous letter, arguing that American history of slavery, massacre of Native peoples and atomic bombing reveal a disregard for human life. He urges readers to ask what they can do for their country.
Why price of fish skyrockets in Japan, by Barry Saiki, page 4. Japan faces difficult negotiations with the Soviet Union over fishing rights after the Soviets declared a 200-mile zone. Disputes over the Kuril Islands and the rise in fish prices have stirred the Japanese public.
‘Quality Education’ as Seen for 3rd World Students, by Aileen Yagade, page 4. The author critiques the desegregation ruling in San Diego schools, arguing that integration assumes Third World schools are inferior. She calls for bilingual and bicultural education with community control.
Bouquets for the Living, by Sachi Seko, page 5. Sachi Seko recalls annual Memorial Day visits with her mother to graves in a Salt Lake City cemetery. She reflects on her mother’s particular habits and the peculiar ritual of tending the dead.
The Hosokawas of History, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa reads about Lady Hosokawa Gracia, a Japanese noblewoman who converted to Christianity, and about the feudal Hosokawa clan. He notes that his own family were rice-growing peasants.
Aid for A-Bomb Survivors, by Wayne Horiuchi, page 5. Wayne Horiuchi reports on congressional efforts to compensate atomic bomb survivors, including hearings scheduled by Rep. Danielson. He urges readers to contact their senators to support Sen. Gravel’s bill.
Weddings in Spring, by Mas Manbo, page 8. Mas Manbo describes how Japanese weddings now blend traditional Shinto rites with Western customs such as double-ring ceremonies and recorded wedding marches. He notes that Hawaii is a popular honeymoon destination.
On Keeping the Best, by Chiz Satow, page 8. Chiz Satow urges preservation of Japanese American cultural artifacts and history before they are lost. She argues that culture is the one treasure worth preserving in a changing world.
Shhh: Keeping the Best, by Chiz Satow, page 8. Chiz Satow argues that preserving Japanese American culture and history matters as generations change. She urges families to share materials with archival efforts.
In Jackpot Country, by Anna Eriko Peterson, page 9. Midwest JACL member Anna Eriko Peterson recounts attending the Tri-District Council meeting and PC Board in Reno. She discovers that Midwest concerns largely match those of other chapters and that national leaders are attentive.
Nikkei experiences in Canada & U.S. compared, by Joon Inouye, page 11. A review of Ken Adachi’s The Enemy That Never Was, a history of Japanese Canadians, comparing their wartime experience with that of Japanese Americans. The reviewer notes the Canadian community’s assimilation after the war.
Tips for Tourists, by George Yoshinaga, page 12. George Yoshinaga offers shopping suggestions for travelers to Japan, including duty-free cognac and a compact respirator. He also recounts a security incident at Haneda airport.

In-Depth

Chapter pulse: Idaho Falls honors graduates and Issei, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Idaho Falls chapter held a dinner honoring graduates and Issei, with a showing of the film The Nisei. Several graduates spoke about their plans.

Sports

No fanfare needed for Denver U. ballplayer, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Gordon Nishimoto, a University of Denver senior, is profiled as a consistent hitter and versatile player with a 3.5 grade point average. Coach Jack Rose says he would be an asset to any college baseball program.

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