Vol. 86, No. 14, April 14, 1978. 8 pages. View this issue
Who sits on federal advisory panels was a question that ran through this eight-page issue. JACL National Headquarters sent the State Department 14 nominees for four expected vacancies on the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission, pressing its long-standing call for more Nikkei involvement. Four Asian Americans were also named to the Federal Advisory Committee on Immigration and Naturalization. On the front page as well, a survey by Assemblyman Paul Bannai found nearly 70% of his constituents backing Proposition 13, and John Kimura became mayor of Woodland.
The commentary pages carry Bill Hosokawa on a Peking opera performance in Taipei, Yasushi Hara on U.S. businesses in Japan, Joe Oyama on a Christmas trip to Fresno, and Chuck Kubokawa on a drop-in center for Japanese Canadians in Toronto. Clifford I. Uyeda wrote about poverty among Japanese American elderly, tying it to the wartime expulsion that wiped out their savings. Community news includes a teaching medal for Joanne Iritani and a new Washington office for the Pacific/Asian Coalition.
What’s in this issue
Community
- Nikkei nominated for Friendship Commission, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL submitted fourteen nominees for four expected vacancies on the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission to the State Department. The organization has long pressed for greater Nikkei representation on the panel.
- Attracting ‘quality industry’ goal for new Woodland mayor, by P.C. Staff, page 1. John Kimura became mayor of Woodland, the first Japanese American mayor in Yolo County. He emphasizes attracting quality industry and controlling growth while continuing to farm tomatoes.
- PAC opens Washington office, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Pacific/Asian Coalition is establishing a Washington office and is seeking a coordinator with an April 22 filing deadline. The PAC also received a fifth-year grant from the National Institute of Mental Health.
- Honors Medal awarded Nisei teaching mentally retarded, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Joanne Iritani received the Freedoms Foundation Teacher’s Honor Medal for her work with trainable mentally retarded students in Bakersfield. Her music and art programs have surprised parents with student achievement.
- Asian Awareness, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Asian American Students Association of Loyola Marymount University held its annual cultural awareness week with ethnic dances and music. The program included the campus Gamelan Angklung orchestra.
National
- Asians named to immigration advisory panel, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Four Asian Americans were named to the Federal Advisory Committee on Immigration and Naturalization. The committee will advise the INS on outreach, community relations, and treatment of aliens.
- Bannai poll: 70% favor Jarvis-Gann plan, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A survey by Assemblyman Paul Bannai found nearly 70% of his constituents support Proposition 13 to cut property taxes. Respondents preferred it over other reform options, though many worried about service cuts.
Commentary
- U.S. business firms in Japan catching on, by Yasushi Hara, page 4. McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and General Foods succeeded in Japan by adapting to Japanese attitudes rather than copying U.S. operations. The article argues that understanding Japanese workplace culture is essential for American firms.
- Trips into Nostalgia, by Joe Oyama, page 5. The author and his wife drive to Fresno on Christmas to visit her childhood farm and old friends. The trip reveals how the town has changed since prewar days.
- Watching Peking Opera, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa attends a private Peking opera performance in Taipei starring Topaz Lee Chia. He describes the audience customs and the colorful production.
- Data Sharing, by Chuck Kubokawa, page 6. Kubokawa describes visiting The Annex, a drop-in center for Japanese Canadians in Toronto, and its funding struggles. He urges stronger national cooperation and sharing of information between Nikkei communities.
Incarceration & Redress
- Japanese Elderly, by Clifford I. Uyeda, page 5. Uyeda reports census data showing many Japanese American elderly have incomes below the poverty level. He attributes this largely to wartime expulsion that wiped out their savings during their productive years.
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