Hibakusha, a Spokane rebuttal and charges dropped for two nurses

Vol. 86, No. 5, February 10, 1978. 8 pages. View this issue

Americans who survived the atomic bombs were the subject of several stories in this eight-page issue. Pat Tashima reported that Japanese researchers had confirmed about 20 American POWs died at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and that surviving American victims lack the medical aid Japan provides. Two more pieces covered a Japanese medical mission and proposed bills in Congress. The Spokane JACL Ad Hoc Committee began a three-part rebuttal to Washington State University’s denial of anti-Asian bias charges. Federal prosecutors also dropped charges against the nurses Narciso and Perez.

Clifford I. Uyeda’s “Are We Ready?” profiled Gordon Hirabayashi, and Bill Hosokawa wrote about the geologist Kiguma Jack Murata. The House passed HR 9471, sponsored by Rep. Norman Mineta, on retirement credit for federal employees held in internment. Plans for the 25th Biennial National JACL Convention in Salt Lake City appeared on page 5, and chapter news included Fresno’s Issei Recognition Night and a revival of the Oakland chapter.

What’s in this issue

Community

• Margaret Takatori Fund gets its biggest boost, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Margaret Takatori Fund received a $2,264.55 donation from the Southern District Junior Young Buddhist League, bringing the total to $3,547.25. The fund was started by the San Diego Japanese Coordinating Council after the infant was severely burned in a house fire that killed her parents.
• Merit Savings earnings up, page 2. Merit Savings reported 1977 operating results of $426,149 after taxes, up from 1976, with savings gains reaching $11.4 million. Total assets ended the year at $54.97 million, a record for the association.
• Pacific Southwest JACL office open house set, page 2. The JACL Pacific Southwest regional office will hold an open house at its new first-floor offices at 125 N. Central Ave. The move from the third floor was made because the stairs were hindering business and space was inadequate.
• IDC chapters hold joint installation, by By YUKI HARADA, page 2. The Boise Valley and Snake River Valley JACL chapters held a joint installation dinner-dance with Malheur County Judge Ray Hirai as guest speaker. Awards for long-term service were presented at the event.
• Chicken squabble ends, page 2. Pioneer Take Out Corp. agreed in federal court to stop airing commercials claiming preference over Kentucky Fried Chicken. A consent decree ended the lawsuit between the two firms.
• Fukai: ‘No better feeling than being elected by the people’, page 3. More than 350 people attended a fundraiser for Gardena councilman Mas Fukai’s reelection campaign. Fukai, first elected in 1974, said his work in Gardena is not yet finished.
• Oakland JACL rejuvenated, page 6. About 20 Japanese Americans met to revive the Oakland JACL chapter, with elections scheduled for Feb. 3. Councilman Frank Ogawa said the community needs a group engaged in city government.
• Fresno JACL Issei Recognition Night, page 6. Over 200 people attended the Fresno JACL Issei Recognition Night, honoring about 90 Issei residents. The program featured a Japanese-language play and performances, along with awards to the oldest guests.

Incarceration & Redress

• Spokane JACL rebuts WSU’s responses, page 1. The Spokane JACL Ad Hoc Committee issued a lengthy rebuttal to Washington State University’s denial of anti-Asian bias charges, disputing claims about an Asian American Studies proposal. The rebuttal cites letters and memoranda to argue the proposal was administratively blocked, and the series continues in later parts.

Military & Veterans

• Atomic bomb victims included American POWs and Hibakusha, by By PAT TASHIMA, page 1. Japanese researchers confirmed about 20 American POWs died in the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic blasts, and Japanese American Hibakusha also suffered. Surviving American A-bomb victims lack the medical aid Japan provides and are seeking congressional legislation.
• Hibakusha, page 6. Hibakusha survivors in the US experience serious radiation-related illnesses, and a Japanese medical mission examined 123 participants in 1977. Researchers found fatigue was the main complaint, with no major abnormalities detected.

National

• U.S. dismisses charges against Narciso-Perez, page 1. Federal prosecutors dropped poisoning and conspiracy charges against Filipina nurses Narciso and Perez after a judge overturned their convictions. The judge had criticized prosecutorial conduct and the evidence was found weak and circumstantial.
• Young-Chin rehearing sought, page 1. The Young-Chin legal aid commission plans to petition for a rehearing for Elizabeth Jane Young after the Supreme Court upheld her gun control conviction. The commission says government attorneys admitted errors in the case.
• Mental health of A-bomb survivors a major concern, page 1. The Committee of Atomic Bomb Survivors urges congressional support and a second Japanese medical mission to examine American Hibakusha. Kanji Kuramoto describes survivors’ stigma, employment and health difficulties, and bills HR 5150 and HR 8440 would reimburse their medical expenses.
• Hayakawa lowering outside time to up Senate voting rate, page 2. Sen. S.I. Hayakawa plans to reduce his speaking engagements after his Senate voting record of 82% drew criticism. He earned about $20,000 from speeches last year and says his travel curtailed his voting.
• House passes bill crediting interned federal employees for retirement, page 2. The House passed HR 9471 by a 366-12 vote, sponsored by Rep. Norman Mineta, to credit federal employees who were 18 or older during WWII internment toward retirement. The article calls internment a complete disregard of constitutional rights.

Commentary

• Are We Ready?, by By CLIFFORD I. UYEDA, page 4. Part 12 of the series profiles Gordon Hirabayashi, who defied curfew and evacuation orders and later challenged the Supreme Court’s evasion of the evacuation issue. The column argues Japanese Americans must act as first-class citizens by pursuing reparations.
• Justice for Narciso-Perez, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial welcomes the dismissal of charges against nurses Narciso and Perez and questions whether they received a fair trial. It also draws parallels to the Young-Chin case and the Ranko Yamada-Evelyn Okubo retrial.
• ‘Adam’ Was Not His Name, by Sachi Seko, page 5. Seko recounts attending the funeral of a friend, referred to as Adam, who died by suicide after a period of mental illness and job pressure. She reflects on the loss and the small-town burial in winter.
• From the Frying Pan: A Nisei Geologist, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa profiles Kiguma Jack Murata, who retired from the U.S. Geological Survey after 47 years of research. Murata overcame early civil service rejections to become an internationally honored geochemist.

Obituaries

• Abraham Lincoln Wirin, 77, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A.L. Wirin, ACLU attorney since 1931, died Feb. 4 and is remembered for opposing the 1942 Evacuation. He later served as unpaid JACL legal counsel in the Yasui, Hirabayashi and Korematsu cases.

JACL

• Format and Finances for Salt Lake Convention, by Shake Ushio, page 5. The 25th Biennial National JACL Convention will confine council sessions to mornings and feature in-depth workshops on retirement and political involvement. Planners are also arranging recreational activities and social time.

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