The 1977 holiday issue: Sansei, interracial marriage and a Salt Lake City convention

Vol. 85, No. 26, December 23, 1977. 104 pages. View this issue

The Sansei generation ran through this holiday issue. Warren Furutani set Japanese American economic success beside the troubling rise of suicide among Sansei youth, while Lillian C. Kimura asked about young people in the Midwest and Sachi Seko wrote about raising her Sansei son. Pat Tashima traced the history of interracial marriage, and Frank Chin argued that white critics misread John Okada’s novel No No Boy.

Commentary also covered JACL itself. Mike Masaoka questioned leadership accountability before the Salt Lake City convention, Norman Y. Mineta wrote on the Japan-United States Friendship Act, and Bill Hosokawa looked at U.S.-Japan trade. Other pages hold a profile of Asian American broadcasters, a review of East West Players, and a look at Little Tokyo Towers. About 73 of its 104 pages carry holiday greetings from chapters and families, including Fresno and Sacramento.

What’s in this issue

Commentary

• JAPAN-UNITED STATES FRIENDSHIP ACT LACKS NIKKEI PARTICIPATION, by Hon. Norman Y. Mineta, page 37. Congressman Norman Mineta argues that the Japan-United States Friendship Commission, which administers the 1975 Friendship Act, has focused too heavily on education and neglected other cultural exchanges. He faults the Nikkei community, including JACL, for failing to organize and participate during the bill’s legislative process, and urges grassroots involvement to influence the Commission.
• JACL Membership Accountability: Credibility or Organization at Stake, by Mike Masaoka, page 38. Mike Masaoka criticizes National JACL leadership and staff for failing to implement the unanimous National Council mandate to pursue reparations for wartime evacuation losses. He argues that officers and staff must be held accountable to council decisions before the upcoming Salt Lake City convention.
• JACL Must Assert Itself as Drums Beat Again on U.S.-Japan Trade Issue, by Bill Hosokawa, page 39. Bill Hosokawa warns that a deteriorating U.S.-Japan trade relationship could escalate into economic conflict, and that Japanese Americans will suffer from any such hostility because they are often seen as Japanese. He calls on JACL to exert united moral pressure and to assert its Americanism while honoring its ethnic heritage.
• U.S. v. Santa Claus, by Timothy D. Takata, page 42. Timothy Takata presents a satirical legal complaint in which multiple U.S. government agencies charge Santa Claus with violations including unlicensed flight, tax evasion, illegal entry, and environmental pollution. The piece ends with Santa’s humorous reply to the government.
• My Sansei Son, by Sachi Seko, page 50. Sachi Seko reflects on raising her Sansei son Alan, describing her efforts to let him grow up free of the fear and prejudices that marked her Issei upbringing. She portrays him as an ordinary, relaxed young man who has found his own path.
• The Sansei in the Midwest, by Lillian C. Kimura, page 51. Midwest JACL District Governor Lillian Kimura reflects on studies of suburban youth and survey results showing conservatism among teens, and considers how these trends apply to Midwest Sansei. She questions the future of JAY and JACL involvement in the region.
• Further Than My Grasp, by Judge Raymond Uno, page 51. Judge Raymond Uno urges Japanese Americans to use their advantages to help create a safer and more constructive society, linking the community’s future to global interdependence. He calls on JACL to expand its resources and help young people achieve their aspirations.

Arts & Entertainment

• East West Players Strengths and Shortcomings in Newest Offering, Once Upon in America, by Kats Kunitsu, page 41. Kats Kunitsu reviews the East West Players’ production Once Upon in America, praising the troupe’s longevity and the leadership of Mako, while criticizing the play for having ten authors, which he believes diluted its artistic focus. He concludes that the Players remain important in fostering Asian American theater despite the scarcity of good Asian American plays.
• Asian Americans in Media: They Survive, by Jon Inouye, page 54. Jon Inouye profiles Asian American broadcasters Mario Machado, Tritia Toyota, Dale Urakawa, and Sumi Haru, examining how each has navigated a competitive and changeable field. The article emphasizes persistence, the importance of positive role models, and the need for young Asian Americans to pursue media careers.
• Whites Can’t Relate to No No Boy, by Frank Chin, page 55. Frank Chin argues that white critics misjudge John Okada’s novel No No Boy as merely autobiographical and sub-literary, failing to understand the history and sensibility of Japanese America. He defends the book’s artistry and examines the camp-era voices and attitudes that shaped Okada’s work.

In-Depth

• Opposite Sides of the Same Coin, by Warren Furutani, page 43. Warren Furutani examines Japanese American success in economic terms alongside the troubling rise of suicide among Sansei youth, arguing both reflect generations of oppression and survival strategies. He calls for confronting problems rather than evading them and paying tribute to Nikkei activists who fought for social change.
• Interracial Marriages: A Personal and Historical Look at Asian American Phenomenon, by Pat Tashima, page 44. Pat Tashima traces the history of Japanese American interracial marriages through stories such as Karl and Elaine Yoneda, Estelle Ishigo, and Mizuho Bucol, along with the legal barriers that existed until the 1967 Loving decision. The article also notes rising outmarriage rates among Sansei and the family and societal pressures couples faced.
• Former Pacific Citizen Historical Feature on Japanese Liberation of Okinawa Story, page 48. This placeholder entry is not a valid article and has been excluded.
• Yellow Peril: Grounding of Japanese Warship Asama Off Baja California in 1915 Triggered War Rumor, by Don Estes, page 48. Don Estes recounts the 1915 grounding of the Japanese cruiser Asama at Puerto San Bartolome, Baja California, and the sensational press coverage by the Los Angeles Times that cast the incident as a Japanese military threat. He shows the reports were largely fabricated and reflected the broader yellow journalism of the era.
• Japanese Language School-Pearl Harbor Attack Story Wins Wide Acceptance, by Allan Beekman, page 57. Allan Beekman recounts the history of Chuo Gakuin, a Japanese language school in Honolulu, and the tragedy of December 7, 1941, when shrapnel from defensive antiaircraft fire struck the school. He explains how the story he and his wife wrote, No Place Beneath the Rising Sun, has been widely reprinted.
• I Heard Something in the Bushes, by Ferris Takahashi, page 60. A father and son take a camping trip with Uncle Izzy in the California mountains, and their differing views on work, family, and happiness surface around the campfire. The story ends with the son asleep and the father quietly wishing he could express his love.

Community

• Little Tokyo Towers, Home of Happy Issei, by Colleen Kajioka, page 52. Colleen Kajioka describes Little Tokyo Towers, a federally funded senior citizen housing project in Los Angeles co-sponsored by Japanese American community organizations. She highlights its high occupancy, resident activities, and the independence it provides to elderly Issei and Nisei.
• Oba-san’s Tale of the Tanuki, by Stanley N. Kanzaki, page 53. Stanley Kanzaki recounts a family friend’s story of a raccoon, called a tanuki, that repeatedly fouled her San Francisco garden until she trapped and removed it. The tale is a lighthearted fable with traditional Japanese folklore references.
• Ellen Nakamura: Grandma Danced at the Inaugural, by Ellen A. Nakamura, page 95. Ellen Nakamura describes how the Seabrook, New Jersey Minyo Dancers, a group of three generations of Japanese Americans, performed at President Carter’s 1977 Inaugural festivities after earlier success at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. She highlights the community effort and the group’s widespread media attention.

Military & Veterans

• Nisei in Japan During War Sang White Christmas Learned from U.S. Broadcasts, by Mas Manbo, page 59. Mas Manbo recalls working as a Nisei at a Japanese Foreign Office listening post during World War II, monitoring Allied shortwave broadcasts. He describes learning Bing Crosby’s White Christmas from those transmissions and his later reflections on Crosby’s popularity in Japan.

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