Vol. 87, No. 19, November 17, 1978. 12 pages. View this issue
California sent two Japanese Americans to the U.S. House in the 1978 election, and Harry Honda’s front-page report led this 12-page issue. Robert Matsui of Sacramento, a city councilman, won the seat of retiring Rep. John Moss, and Norman Mineta of San Jose was elected to a third term. The report says Matsui pledged support for JACL’s redress program. Redress ran through the commentary pages too: George Sakaguchi urged members to write their congressmen, and Paul W. Ellis answered Senator Hayakawa’s remarks and recommended Michi Weglyn’s Years of Infamy.
Elsewhere in the issue, a Day of Remembrance caravan was planned to retrace the trek to Camp Harmony, and UCLA announced an exhibit of Manzanar photographs by Ansel Adams and Toyo Miyatake. Frank Chin wrote about the redress campaign in the Seattle Weekly, and Yoshiko Uchida’s new children’s novel Journey Home carried the story of a family’s return from Topaz. News items covered the Asakawa case and Tomoya Kawakita’s visa request.
What’s in this issue
National
- California sends two Nikkei to Congress, by By HARRY HONDA, page 1. Two Japanese American Democrats, Robert Matsui and Norman Shumway, were elected to the U.S. House from California in the 1978 election. Matsui pledged support for JACL’s redress program while Mineta and others continued working with JACL on the campaign.
- Confession bared in Asakawa case, page 1. A former convict confessed to the slaying of Sansei Jo Ann Asakawa, whose body was found near Tijuana, Mexico. The suspect, Ronnie Lee Beverly, was held without bail reduction pending further proceedings.
- Kawakita applies for visa to visit U.S., page 1. Tomoya Kawakita asked Japan’s Foreign Minister for help obtaining a U.S. visa to visit his father’s grave in California. He has also appealed to President Carter and says he does not intend to demand reinstatement of U.S. citizenship.
Community
- Asian studies at WSU not definite, by Special to The Pacific Citizen, page 1. Washington State University has not committed to a permanent Asian American studies program despite earlier reports. The Spokane JACL continues its lawsuit and federal complaint against the university.
- Caravan to retrace evacuee trek to Camp Harmony, by Special to The Pacific Citizen, page 2. The PNWDC meeting addressed plans for a November 25 Day of Remembrance caravan to the Puyallup fairgrounds, commemorating Camp Harmony. Plans included speakers, a camp talent show revival, and co-sponsorship by several Seattle-area groups.
- NC-WNDC elects new governor, page 2. Ben Takeshita of Contra Costa JACL was elected NC-WNDC governor, succeeding Chuck Kubokawa. Full details were promised for the next issue.
- Two Nikkei protesters released from jail, page 2. Six anti-Marcos protesters, including two Nikkei, were unconditionally released from jail by the San Francisco County Parole Board after a hunger strike. The demonstrators had been convicted for their April 13 protests.
- Burglars break into PC offices, page 9. Burglars entered the third floor offices of the Pacific Citizen and neighboring Little Tokyo organizations over the November 4-5 weekend. About $700 in stamps and petty cash was reported missing.
- Ansel/Miyatake camp photos to be exhibited, page 9. An exhibit of 100 photographs of Manzanar internment camp by Ansel Adams and Toyo Miyatake will be shown at UCLA’s Wight Art Gallery. The exhibit runs November 21 through January 14.
- Official search for hiker now abandoned, page 9. The official search for Steve Nakagawa, a 26-year-old Reedley man missing in the High Sierra, was called off November 7. His family continued the search by helicopter.
- JACLer awarded insurance diploma, page 10. Steven T. Okamoto, Palo Alto branch manager of Occidental Life, was awarded the Chartered Life Underwriter diploma. He is believed to be the only Japanese American brother pair holding both the CLU and CPCU designations.
- San Francisco seen derelict in preparing bilingual voters, page 12. The Justice Department sued San Francisco officials for failing to provide adequate bilingual voter registration and poll workers for Chinese and Spanish-speaking voters. The suit cites the 1975 bilingual amendment to the Voting Rights Act.
- KIKU-TV now in 11th year in Hawaii, page 12. KIKU is the only all-Japanese radio-TV outlet in the U.S., broadcasting on Hawaii since 1967. Its programming ranges from news and children’s shows to musicals and dramas.
JACL
- Educator joins JACL headquarters staff, page 2. J.D. Hokoyama was appointed Associate National Director of JACL, filling a position vacant since 1977. A former Peace Corps volunteer and high school educator, he will oversee general services and national headquarters operations.
Incarceration & Redress
- Future of Shin Buddhism is topic, page 2. The Southern Alameda County Buddhist Church holds a November 19 seminar on the future of Shin Buddhism featuring Dr. Tetsuden Kashima. The event is a short notice of an upcoming program.
Commentary
- Replacing ‘Jap’, by Taro J. Kawakami, page 4. A reader proposes the abbreviation Jpse. as a replacement for the term Jap, arguing it is short and easily adopted. He urges JACL chapters to promote its use in English-speaking and academic circles.
- Redress: Pro & Con, by Paul W. Ellis, Ph.D., page 4. Paul Ellis responds to Senator Hayakawa’s remarks on redress, arguing that Hayakawa lacks authority on the issue given his Canadian background and the Bill of Rights basis for redress. He recommends reading Michi Weglyn’s Years of Infamy.
- Since Manhattan, it’s been two years in California, page 4. The author recounts moving from New York to Berkeley to join his sister and brother-in-law, and describes the warm welcome from Henry Takahashi. He also describes joining a San Francisco play reading that led to a stage role.
- Don’t just agree to need for Redress — act!, by George Sakaguchi, page 4. George Sakaguchi praises the Committee for Internment Credit for securing passage of a bill allowing federal retirement credit for camp internment. He urges members to write congressmen to support the JACL redress program.
- Midwest look of 1978: Status Report on Indochinese refugees, page 8. The report outlines U.S. resettlement of Indochinese refugees, noting over 120,000 remain in UN camps. It describes Midwest resettlement communities and the impact of Missouri’s withdrawal from the IRAP program.
Military & Veterans
- Saga of Nisei G-2 being published, page 11. Naval historian Joe Harrington is writing Yankee Samurai, a book on the wartime and occupation service of Nisei in the Military Intelligence Service. The manuscript is scheduled for publication in 1979.
Arts & Entertainment
- Evacuation Story sequel Journey Home, page 11. Yoshiko Uchida’s new children’s novel Journey Home continues the story of Yuki and her family returning to Berkeley after Topaz. It explores lingering fear and distrust faced by Japanese Americans after the war.
- Redress story in Seattle Weekly, by Frank Chin, page 11. Frank Chin’s cover story in the Seattle Weekly covers JACL’s redress campaign from a Pacific Northwest perspective. It concludes with an optimistic quote from Shosuke Sasaki about the campaign’s prospects.
- Ariyoshi spends most in primaries, page 12. Campaign spending reports show Governor Ariyoshi spent the most in Hawaii’s primary, about $1.4 million. Other Nikkei candidates, including Wayne Nishiki and Jean Sadako King, also reported significant campaign spending.
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