Stone anchors, a new ambassador and Little Tokyo’s Japan Plaza

Vol. 84, No. 21, June 3, 1977. 8 pages. View this issue

An archaeologist’s claim that Asian sailors reached the New World more than 1,000 years before Columbus led the front page. James R. Moriarty pointed to five Oriental stone anchors found off Southern California. Mike Mansfield was sworn in as U.S. ambassador to Japan, and Kaz Umemoto finished fourth in a special Assembly primary. JACL asked a court to quash a summons from Los Angeles’ Community Redevelopment Agency.

Elsewhere in the eight pages, K.W. Lee wrote about the Matsui family and its Issei message of “benkyo, benkyo.” Bill Hosokawa answered readers about The Tale of Genji, and Floyd Shimomura asked whether young people were turned off to JACL. Construction began on the $5 million Japanese Village Plaza in Little Tokyo. Chapter news covered scholarships from the San Jose and Eden Township chapters, and a new ad hoc committee on job bias.

What’s in this issue

Community

• Ancient stone anchors off California shores cited as pre-Columban visit by Asian sailors, page 1. Archaeologist James R. Moriarty argues that five Oriental stone anchors found off Southern California suggest Asian sailors reached the New World over 1,000 years before Columbus. He cites additional evidence including accidental voyages recorded up to 1919 and Jomon-like pottery found in Peru.
• Umemoto out-spent and out-voted, page 1. Architect-urban planner Kaz Umemoto finished fourth in the special 46th State Assembly District Democratic primary with 8.2% of the vote. He blamed money as a decisive factor, noting front-runner Mike Roos spent over $100,000.
• Mark centennial of Nikkei Christians, page 1. The National Council of Churches adopted a message to the Japanese American Christian community marking the centennial of the Japanese Gospel Society, the first Japanese Christian group in the U.S. Ceremonies honoring the founding are set for October.
• Tape supplement for Nihongo textbooks in U.S. available, page 1. The California Japanese Language Schools Association announced a tape cassette supplement for Japanese-language students will be available in July. The material accompanies primary-grade textbooks and was produced under Japanese Ministry of Education auspices.
• JACL’s reply to CRA summons: ‘quash it!’, page 1. JACL asked the municipal court to quash an unlawful detainer summons from Los Angeles’ Community Redevelopment Agency, noting CRA had accepted May rent for its Sun Building offices. JACL contends the relocation site, the old Nishi Hongwanji Building, is unsafe and not equal to its present offices.
• Asians for death penalty, page 1. All three Asian American state legislators in California voted to reinstate capital punishment for 16 types of first-degree murder. The legislation awaited Governor Brown, who was expected to veto it.
• Pioneer Issei history placed in new Santa Maria museum, page 2. Santa Maria JACL presented a $1,000 donation and a history of Issei pioneers to the Santa Maria Valley Historical Society in March. The society returned a plaque honoring Issei contributions, and the JACL is now seeking Nikkei artifacts for the museum.
• Traditional Issei message of ‘benkyo, benkyo’ still effective, by K.W. Lee, page 2. A Sacramento Union feature profiles the Matsui family, whose Issei grandmother Tsuru urged her children to pursue education despite hardship. The article also explores the model minority stereotype, quoting former JACL president Henry Tanaka’s objections to it.
• New Yorkers at Asian MBA meet, page 2. Sen. Spark Matsunaga was named the most distinguished Asian American by the Asian MBA Conference held April 9 at Columbia University. About 110 attended the event, which aimed to improve communication between Asian businesspeople and the wider community.
• Emperor decorates former L.A. resident, page 3. Former Nissan Motor Corp. USA chairman Yutaka Katayama donated $1,000 each to the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center and the Japanese Retirement Home after receiving Japan’s Blue Ribbon Medal. He said the gift honored the support he received from the Southern California Japanese community.
• San Jose’s Fuji Towers now filled, page 3. The 140-unit Fuji Towers senior housing project in San Jose, sponsored by the San Jose Buddhist Church Housing Corp., marked its first year with 100 percent occupancy. Residents and sponsors gathered April 20 to commemorate the opening.
• Issei church starts consumer protection, page 3. The Sycamore Congregational Church in El Cerrito launched a one-year consumer protection project for Japanese-speaking residents, funded by a $7,500 grant. Graduate student Rev. Kenichi Otsu is researching consumer problems in the community.
• Completion of Japan Plaza projected for July 1978, page 3. Construction has begun on the $5 million Japanese Village Plaza in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo, a specialty shopping center designed to keep small local merchants in the area. Developer David Hyun worked with the CRA and community leaders, and rents are projected lower than other Southern California theme malls.
• Friendship Garden koi back in pond, page 3. About 170 koi rescued from a parasite outbreak that killed over 600 fish at San Jose’s Japanese Friendship Garden were returned to the pond in mid-May. The city completed $17,000 in improvements to prevent a recurrence.
• Eden Township chapter pulse: bazaar and graduate awards, page 7. Eden Township JACL prepared for its 14th annual bazaar to benefit community work and center maintenance, and honored high school seniors with scholarship awards at its graduation potluck. Several achievement awards of $100 to $200 were presented to local students.
• San Jose chapter scholarships awarded to 11 graduates, page 7. San Jose JACL announced 11 local high school graduates received scholarships totaling $1,800 for 1977. Awards were drawn from chapter and memorial funds.

National

• Mansfield sworn in as U.S. envoy, page 1. Former Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield was sworn in as U.S. ambassador to Japan on May 26, with his wife Maureen holding the Bible. Retired judge William B. Jones administered the oath.
• Washington state passes foreign resident tuition bill, page 1. The Washington state legislature passed a bill granting resident tuition to children of foreign company employees on E-1 visas. Pacific Northwest JACL governor Edward Yamamoto spearheaded the campaign after noting Japan Air Lines employees’ children paid nearly triple the resident rate.
• JACL ad hoc group formed for job bias against Asian Americans, page 2. JACL President James Murakami appointed Dr. Tom Taketa to chair a new ad hoc committee investigating employment discrimination against Asian Americans, starting with public agencies. The committee will compile a report for possible action at the 1978 National Convention in Salt Lake City.
• New Chinese American group urges full U.S.-Peking ties, page 2. The National Association of Chinese Americans launched a national campaign in Washington to press for normalization of relations with the People’s Republic of China. Its president argued America might be making a serious historical mistake by not completing full diplomatic recognition.

Commentary

• Social Security, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial warns that the Social Security system faces serious financial problems and could be bankrupt by 1983 if current trends continue. It urges that restructuring debates focus on social and economic questions rather than ideology or politics.
• Lesson of Narita, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial notes that removing the steel towers at Narita does not resolve problems facing the new Tokyo International Airport, including noise, jet fuel supply and passenger transportation. It argues the decade-long conflict stems from government failure to heed local residents.
• Historic Landmark, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Hotel del Coronado was designated a National Historic Landmark, and the editorial recalls JACL’s decade-long effort to have the Rohwer camp monument for Nisei soldiers similarly recognized. It says JACL continues to seek the National Park Service’s support for Rohwer.
• JACL Insurance, by John Yasumoto, page 4. Yasumoto, co-chairman of the National JACL Health Insurance Commission, urges insured JACL members to participate more actively in chapter and district activities. He notes membership has grown to about 17,000 insured members without a matching rise in participation.
• Sansei youth not ‘turned off’ to JACL, by Floyd Shimomura, page 4. After speaking to a high school Asian American history class, Shimomura concludes that young people are not hostile to JACL but simply lack knowledge about it. He recommends creating ways for youth to learn about the organization and possibly reestablishing a JAY chapter in Sacramento.
• The Charm of ‘Genji’, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa responds to reader letters about his column on The Tale of Genji, including a correction that printing was invented in China and Korea before Gutenberg. He considers reading The Tale of Genji again and mentions reading Shogun for pleasure.
• Reconciliation—1977 Style, by Robert E. Sheridan, M.M., page 5. Sheridan describes a February 1977 reunion in San Francisco where former Baguio civilian POW camp commander Rokuro Tomibe was honored by more than 200 former prisoners. He presents the event as a powerful example of reconciliation between former enemies.

Arts & Entertainment

• A fishing story with a Kanaka accent, by Hichi Matsumoto, page 4. Hichi Matsumoto, writing in the 442nd Veterans Club newsletter in Honolulu, recounts a humorous fishing outing with friends that included a rescue of stranded boaters. The piece is written in Hawaiian pidgin and is reprinted for mainland readers.

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