Omaha’s Nisei council candidate and the push for retirement credit

Vol. 84, No. 17, May 6, 1977. 8 pages. View this issue

Richard Takechi, a 39-year-old Omaha jeweler, had reached the May 10 city council runoff, and Em Nakadoi reported on his bid to become the city’s first Japanese American councilman. Also on the front page were Rep. Norman Mineta’s bill for federal retirement credit for Japanese Americans interned during World War II, which had 70 co-sponsors, and a Washington state tuition bill backed by Columbia Basin JACL. Wayne Horiuchi’s column followed the Mineta bill, and Bill Hosokawa profiled Charles Kubokawa, a candidate for the Palo Alto city council.

The eight pages also carried Jon Inouye’s look at guayule rubber, developed by Japanese American scientists at Manzanar and the Colorado River camps, and news of the groundbreaking for the cultural center in Little Tokyo. Other items covered the Sakura Matsuri in San Francisco’s Japantown, new National JACL executive director Karl Nobuyuki, a play paired with an Executive Order 9066 photo exhibit, and the fifth annual directory of local JACL scholarships.

What’s in this issue

Community

• Omaha Nisei in City Council Runoff, by Em Nakadoi, page 1. Richard Takechi, a 39-year-old Omaha jeweler, finished 10th in the April primaries and advanced to the May 10 runoff for city council. He is the first Japanese American candidate for the seat, with a long record of civic involvement.
• Nisei in Philadelphia Expect to Retire There, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Participants in a Philadelphia JACL retirement workshop mostly plan to stay in the East, where their children are establishing themselves. Suggestions included a rotating shared residence and a JACL telephone contact committee for isolated retirees.
• 25,000 Witness 10th Sakura Matsuri, by P.C. Staff, page 1. An estimated 25,000 spectators watched the San Francisco Sakura Festival parade through Japantown. The article also reports on Omaha’s city council election dispute over at-large voting.
• No. Calif. Nikkei to Honor Hayakawa, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Northern California Japanese Americans will host a congratulatory dinner for Sen. S.I. Hayakawa in San Francisco. A Mervin Field poll showed Hayakawa topping a list of 16 prominent Californians in favorability.
• Seattle JACL to Submit Proposal for Center, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Japanese Cultural-Service Center Committee decided to proceed alone on a federal EDA proposal to build a community center in Seattle. The center would house the Japanese language school, a dojo, and other cultural groups.
• The Happy Days When Karl Ran MAC, by Jon Inouye, page 1. Karl Nobuyuki, the new National JACL executive director, previously built Gardena’s Municipal Activities Center, a youth and community services hub. The article traces the center’s origins and its comprehensive programs.
• French Camp Nisei Postmaster Retires, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Richard K. Hayashi retired April 22 as postmaster of the French Camp post office after a 14-year Postal Service career. A prewar Stockton track star, he served with the 442nd and later spent 22 years in the military.
• Hokkaido Sends Sakura Seeds for Minnesota Capital, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Minnesota received 140,000 Japanese cherry tree seeds from Hokkaido after a 20-year effort led by Rev. Andrew Otani. Gov. Rudy Perpich accepted the seeds, which will be planted at the state capital.
• Detroit JACL Marks 30th Year, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Detroit JACL held its 30th annual installation dinner-dance, sworn in by Midwest District Governor Lillian Kimura. Guest speaker Dr. Dorothy McDonald discussed the lack of Asian American identity among Midwest youth.
• Fullerton Laughter and False Teeth Teamed with EO 9066, by Pat O’Leary, page 7. Livingston-Merced JACL and Merced College presented Hiroshi Kashiwagi’s play Laughter and False Teeth alongside an Evacuation photo exhibit. Audience members, including former internees, shared memories of the camps.
• First Grader Wins 1st Prize in Patriotism Essay Contest, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Troy Shiozawa, a first grader in Pocatello, won the grand prize in the Chubbuck Lions patriotism essay contest. The Pocatello-Blackfoot JACL reprinted his 80-word essay.
• USC Drops Funding for Asian Tutors, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The University of Southern California’s allocation board declined to fund the Asian American Tutorial Project for the coming year. The program, which serves Los Angeles immigrants, may have to end its community services.

National

• Tuition Bill at Critical Stage, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Washington state bill granting resident tuition to children of E-1 visa holders, pushed by Columbia Basin JACL, awaits House action. JACL chapters in the Pacific Northwest were urged to lobby their representatives.
• 70 Co-Sponsor Mineta Bill for Retirement Credit, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. Norman Mineta’s bill granting federal civil service retirement credit to Japanese Americans interned during WWII has 70 co-sponsors. The Committee for Internment Credit is leading the push, and similar bills are pending in both chambers.
• U.S. Bans Whaling Inside New Limit, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Assistant Secretary of State Patsy Mink announced the U.S. will not permit whale killing within its new 200-mile zone. Greenpeace welcomed the decision but questioned how it would be enforced.

Commentary

• Nisei Directs Personnel at Nat’l Science Foundation, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Fred K. Murakami is the Director of Personnel and Management at the National Science Foundation, the only Japanese American at this level among major federal agencies. He oversees about 1,300 employees and coordinates the foundation’s rotator program.
• Editorial: Mass Arrests, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial criticizes a federal appeals court ruling that overturned limits on mass arrests of demonstrators in Washington, D.C. It notes the ruling’s implications for pending damage suits and for reparations for Japanese Americans.
• Welcome Aboard, Karl, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial welcomes Karl Nobuyuki as the new National JACL executive director and praises his community ties. It notes a renewed JACL interest in the Pacific Southwest District stirred by his appointment.
• Statue of Liberty, by Naomi Kashiwabara, page 4. A San Diego reader responds to complaints that no statue of liberty faces Asia on the West Coast by reminding readers the Statue of Liberty was a gift from France. She urges Japan to donate a statue facing San Francisco instead.
• From Happy Valley, by Joe Oyama, page 4. A Berkeley reader praises a recent Sachi Seko column on Lillian Hellman and warns of a conservative backlash against ethnicity and Asian religions. He sees echoes of the Yellow Peril in the post-Bicentennial climate.
• 1977 Presidential Classroom: Well-Organized & Educational, by Audrey Hokoda, page 4. A Downtown L.A. JACL member recounts her week in Washington, D.C. with the Presidential Classroom program, touring historic sites and attending seminars with government figures. She highlights the value of meeting students from diverse backgrounds.
• Nikkei at Crossroad, by Barry Saiki, page 4. A column from Tokyo reflects on the shifting Issei and Nisei attitudes toward integration and ethnic identity. It argues that JACL must decide whether to remain focused on Japanese American concerns or evolve with its changing membership.
• Plain Speaking: Mineta’s Bill Gaining Support, by Wayne Horiuchi, page 5. Wayne Horiuchi reports that about 70 House members have co-sponsored Rep. Norman Mineta’s retirement credit bill for interned Japanese Americans. He notes bipartisan and leadership support and promises hearings soon.
• Nisei in Politics, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa profiles Charles Kubokawa, a NASA research scientist running for Palo Alto city council. He describes Kubokawa’s views on community change and reflects on growing Asian American political participation.
• Fifth Annual Pacific Citizen Directory of Local JACL Scholarships, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The directory lists JACL chapter scholarships offered to area high school and college graduates, with amounts and contacts. The list may be incomplete and some deadlines have already passed.

Military & Veterans

• EDC-MDC Confab Dates Shuffled, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The 1977 EDC-MDC convention in Arlington, Virginia has been rescheduled to July 28-31 to accommodate congressional visits. The JAYs are also trying to align their convention with the adults.

In-Depth

• Guayule Rubber Developed by Nisei, by Jon Inouye, page 2. Japanese American scientists at the Manzanar and Colorado River relocation camps developed guayule rubber during WWII under Caltech’s Dr. Robert Emerson. The article argues the process was superior to synthetic rubber and remains relevant today.

JACL

• Student Aid Applications Now Available, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Applications are open for the 1977 Abe Hagiwara Student Aid Program, which will award about $4,000 in grants based on motivation and financial need. The deadline is July 30.

Arts & Entertainment

• Hodgson Hails Little Tokyo’s New Center at Groundbreaking, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Former ambassador James D. Hodgson keynoted the groundbreaking of the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in Little Tokyo. The first phase, a six-story office building, is expected to be completed by mid-1978 as part of a $9 million complex.
• East-West Extends Yamauchi Play, by P.C. Staff, page 3. East West Players extended its production of Wakako Yamauchi’s And the Soul Shall Dance through May 29 due to strong demand. The play will also air on KCET’s Hollywood Television Theatre this fall.
• Noguchi’s Skygate, by Hoover Tateishi, page 3. Isamu Noguchi’s 24-foot steel sculpture Sky Gate is being installed at the Honolulu City Hall Complex. The $120,000 work, funded by the NEA and city art ordinance, has drawn both praise and public mockery.
• Miyagi Brings Film on Handicapped, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Japanese comedian Mariko Miyagi introduced her film Mariko, Mother! at Japan House in New York. The film documents her work at a school for physically and mentally handicapped children.

Obituaries

• Edison Uno (1929-1976), by Suzanne Kusaba, page 4. A tribute poem honors Edison Uno, an advocate for civil rights and reparations who died in 1976. The poet credits him with helping repeal Title II and seeking redress.

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