Camp Harmony remembered, and a debate over what is ‘wrong’ with JACL

Vol. 87, No. 20, November 24, 1978. 12 pages. View this issue

Seattle’s Mayor Charles Royer and the City Council proclaimed November 25 a Day of Remembrance for Camp Harmony, the World War II incarceration (often called internment) camp at the Puyallup Fairgrounds. The day included a symbolic caravan, exhibitions, speakers and a potluck supper, and the paper saw it as a boost to JACL’s Redress campaign. Page 3 turned to a debate: Dr. William Nakashima listed five things he found wrong with JACL as the Pacific Citizen showed it, and Lily Okura, Anna Peterson and Paul Tsuneishi answered him.

Also in these 12 pages: Phil Jordan’s account of the night Robert T. Matsui was elected to Congress, a column by editor Harry K. Honda remembering his father, and Lorrie Inagaki’s explanation of tax limits on lobbying for Redress. Bill Hosokawa and Bill Marutani wrote columns, and a proposed $2.5 million center for San Francisco’s Japantown was described by Joe Oyama.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• Symbolic trek to Harmony set, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Seattle Mayor Charles Royer and the City Council proclaimed November 25 a Day of Remembrance for Camp Harmony, the World War II internment camp at the Puyallup Fairgrounds. The day includes a symbolic caravan, exhibitions, speakers, and a potluck supper, and is seen as a boost to JACL’s Redress campaign.
• Wendy appeal postponed, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The State Attorney General’s Office requested postponement of the hearing on Wendy Yoshimura’s appeal, and the request was granted. Yoshimura remains free on $50,000 bail while the hearing is rescheduled.
• Limitations on Lobbying Activities, by Lorrie Inagaki, page 6. JACL National Program and Legal Director Lorrie Inagaki explains tax limits on lobbying under the 501(c)(3) status and the options available for the REDRESS campaign. Chapters are urged to keep detailed records of lobbying and REDRESS-related expenses.

Community

• Grand jury acts in Asakawa case, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A federal grand jury indicted Ronnie Lee Beverly on a kidnapping charge in the slaying of JoAnn Asakawa. Bond was continued at $1 million by the presiding judge.
• U.S. has its first Nikkei woman lt. gov., by P.C. Staff, page 1. Jean Sadako King was elected Hawaii’s lieutenant governor on the Democratic ticket with Gov. George Ariyoshi, becoming the first woman and first Nikkei woman to hold the post in the nation. The article also reports Nikkei gains in the state senate, house, and county councils.
• $2.5 million center for San Francisco Japantown sought, by Joe Oyama, page 1. The Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California presented a proposal for a $2.5 million center complex in San Francisco’s Japantown and sought community support. The group has over 200 members and aims to enroll 1,000 new paid members by year’s end.
• Heritage, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Toyota’s 20th Anniversary Celebration Fund announced $1,002,875 in grants to 18 organizations promoting closer U.S.-Japan relations. Isao Makino expressed gratitude to grantees and encouraged them to translate proposals into helpful programs.
• The Night Bob Matsui was Elected, by Phil Jordan, page 4. Phil Jordan describes Robert T. Matsui’s election to Congress, where he joins S.I. Hayakawa and Norman Mineta as a Japanese American representative from California. The article details the costly primary and general election campaigns and the strong volunteer support from the Japanese American community.
• Central Cal District elects Tulare’s Stan Nagata gov., by P.C. Staff, page 6. Stanley Nagata of Tulare County was elected governor of the Central California District Council at its Nov. 11-12 convention in Fresno. Fresno-ALL JACL won Chapter of the Year for the first time in 20 years.
• Chapter pulse, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Chapter news from Arizona, Contra Costa, Detroit, and San Diego covers history projects, benefit shows, membership dues, and holiday events. Each chapter reports on local activities and leadership.
• Ex-con dedicated to crime prevention, by Dwight Chuman, page 8. Dwight Chuman, writing for the Rafu Shimpo, profiles Lyle Kurisaki, the son of a JACL founder, who served in the 442nd and later became a criminal before serving prison time. Kurisaki now runs a halfway house program called Prison Preventers and plans a crime television series.
• Stanford scholarship named for crash victim, by P.C. Staff, page 9. A Stanford University scholarship fund has been established in memory of Kenji Nakanishi, a Roosevelt High graduate who died in the PSA San Diego crash. Contributions may be sent to the Stanford memorial fund.
• Calif. permit for acupuncture tighter, by P.C. Staff, page 9. Gov. Brown signed a law requiring three years of training and a test in English, Korean, Chinese, and Japanese for acupuncture certification, effective January 1, 1979. The 900 practitioners certified under the 1975 law are not affected.
• Book review: The Man Who Skied Down Everest, by C.I. Uyeda, M.D., page 11. Dr. C.I. Uyeda reviews Yuichiro Miura’s book about his ski descent of Mount Everest and reflects on the meaning of life and challenge. He presents Miura as a philosopher-poet whose experience sharpens appreciation of life.
• Hayward economist pens book on Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 11. Robert S. Ozaki, a Cal State Hayward economics professor, wrote The Japanese: Cultural Portrait, praised for clear prose and insight into Japanese society. The book is reviewed as a cut above typical portrayals of Japan.
• S.F. CENTER, by Joe Oyama, page 12. The San Francisco JCCCNC panel presented plans for a new Issei Memorial Center, seeking community input, members, and fund-raising help. The proposed complex would cost $2.5 million and be subject to city zoning limits.
• Economic unrest seen in Japan in coming decade, by P.C. Staff, page 12. A Japan Committee on Economic Development survey of 264 corporate managers predicts political and economic upheaval in Japan within a decade. Most respondents expected the end of one-party rule and intensified corporate-public conflict.

National

• Grants available for ethnic heritage studies projects, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The U.S. Office of Education’s Ethnic Heritage Studies Program is accepting applications for 1979 projects, with about $2 million appropriated for roughly 56 projects. Eligible applicants and priority areas are outlined, with a closing date of Jan. 5, 1979.
• HEW Fellows program open, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Applications are being sought for the HEW Fellows Program beginning September 1979, with a January 19, 1979 deadline. Approximately 20 qualified individuals will be selected for a one-year managerial-level placement in the Department of Health, Education and Welfare.

Commentary

• Heritages, by Clifford Uyeda, page 2. JACL President Clifford Uyeda reflects on multilingual election materials in Hawaii and California as evidence that ethnic diversity strengthens American culture. He argues that reawakened pride in heritage across groups is valuable and that a uniform, unicultural America would be a loss.
• Five Things ‘Wrong’ with JACL, by William Nakashima, M.D., page 3. Dr. William Nakashima lists five perceived shortcomings of the JACL as reflected in the Pacific Citizen, including a focus on discrimination, the past, a lack of warm and future-oriented voices, a suspicious tone, and poor tolerance for dissent. He calls for examples of success and balance so young people learn of opportunities as well as discrimination.
• PC, JACLers respond to Dr. Nakashima, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The editor introduces Dr. Nakashima’s letter as a prompt for discussion ahead of the 1979-80 JACL Constitutional Convention. The piece summarizes how PC content has shifted with the decades and invites constructive observations from members.
• Sansei success stories, by Lily Okura, page 3. JACL National Vice President Lily Okura agrees partly with Dr. Nakashima and describes Sansei success stories, including a franchise manager and a dancer who opened a studio. She suggests a Christmas issue feature on Sansei success and urges teaching perseverance and initiative.
• Rephrase the Question, by Anna Peterson, page 3. Anna Peterson argues the question should be what is wrong with Japanese Americans, noting that the PC reflects only the views of those who comment. She contends that membership apathy and the organization’s failure to meet younger members’ needs explain the JACL’s perceived conservatism.
• Ethnic focus a ‘must’, by Paul Tsuneishi, page 3. Pacific Southwest Governor Paul Tsuneishi responds that race is central to Japanese American internal difficulties and that the PC must maintain an ethnic focus. He argues the JACL’s current concerns grow out of present issues like redress and Japan-U.S. relations rather than merely the past.
• Harry K. Honda: Banging Away, by Harry K. Honda, page 4. Editor Harry Honda remembers his father, a shoe repairman who died at 94 shortly after the Nov. 17 issue was printed. The column traces the family’s history from San Francisco and Los Angeles through Rohwer and back, and ties the father’s persistent work to the editor’s own typewriter.
• Korea-Japan-U.S., by Nobuyuki Nakajima, page 4. Nobuyuki Nakajima responds to a Joe Oyama report on Koreans in Japan, arguing that U.S. policy helped divide Korea and bring communism to the North. He urges Japanese Americans to focus on making amends to the Korean people rather than on criticizing Japanese prejudice.
• From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa asserts that Nisei rank high in many categories but are surpassed by Chinese and Pilipino Americans in education and that myths about Pilipinos are shattered. He concludes that Nisei must face the present and the role JACL should play.
• East Wind: Who’s ‘The Greatest’?, by Bill Marutani, page 5. Bill Marutani argues that Nisei should acknowledge the achievements of other Asian American groups and face today’s realities rather than rely on past pride. He emphasizes that JACL must address present needs.
• Comment No. 4, by Asami Oyama, page 5. Asami Oyama reviews three books for holiday gifts and praises Bill Hosokawa’s Thirty-Five Years in the Frying Pan. The column highlights the range and craft of Hosokawa’s columns and his candor.
• Of Three Women, by Bill Marutani, page 5. The column profiles three women: Tomoe Tana, who published Lucille Nixon’s tanka poems; author Yoshiko Uchida, who wrote about the Evacuation for children; and a Sansei daughter who gave homemade coupons as a birthday gift. Each story illustrates determination and creativity.

JACL

• JACL-MAS & CHIZ SATOW MEMORIAL FUND, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Mas and Chiz Satow Memorial Fund reports donor totals for September and October 1978 and outlines its goals of publishing a JACL history and preserving Japanese American source materials. The fund had reached 1,019 donors and $29,206 by October 1978.

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