A JACL television series and growing support for the internment commission bill

Vol. 89, No. 68, November 9, 1979. 8 pages. View this issue

Plans for a five-part television series on Japanese American history led the news. The JACL aimed to produce visual essays told through personal experience, with Peter Takeuchi and Paul Ihara as producers and costs near $325,000. The paper also reported that Reps. Jim Santini and Alvin Baldus became co-sponsors of the internment commission bill, bringing the total to 130 in the House and 15 in the Senate. Karl Nobuyuki wrote about Seiko Wakabayashi, who won endorsements for the bill, and Bill Marutoni argued for a commission hearing.

Elsewhere in these eight pages, a Little Tokyo group proposed returning the Northside of East First Street to local redevelopment. Cindy Ogawa profiled the band Hiroshima and its debut album, and a new Toshio Mori story collection was announced. Bill Hosokawa wrote about Konglish, and a report looked at how short the 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry is of men.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• JACL to develop TV series on Japanese Americans, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL plans a five-part television series of visual essays on Japanese American history, with a pilot script to be completed next year. Producers Peter Takeuchi and Paul Ihara aim to present history through personal experience, with production costs near $325,000.
• House bill 5499 gains co-sponsors, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Two more House members, Reps. Jim Santini and Alvin Baldus, became co-sponsors of HR 5499, the internment commission bill. There are now 130 House co-sponsors and 15 Senate co-sponsors of S 1647.

Commentary

• Tom Shoyama quits atomic energy post in Canada, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Tom K. Shoyama, 63, resigned as chairman of Atomic Energy of Canada amid federal civil service shakeups. Friends said he was upset with several government decisions, and he plans to improve his French and explore business opportunities.
• Konglish: Knitting Korean and English, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa explores Konglish, the English words absorbed into Korean with altered meanings, such as ‘small’ for G.I. fatigues and ‘nylon’ for a fake patient. He notes parallels with Japanese adaptations of English.
• Let Us Reason Together, by Bill Marutoni, page 5. Marutoni argues that monetary payment alone for WWII incarceration would not deter future injustice or educate the public. He contends that a commission hearing is needed to expose the racism of the era and build public understanding.
• Children—the Dependent Minority, by Cheryl Ann Watanabe, page 6. Watanabe argues that children lack a voice in the juvenile justice system, where Persons in Need of Supervision are often confined alongside criminal offenders. She contends that funds spent separating families would be better used to keep them together.
• Independent Retirees Better Off, by Nobuyuki Nakajima, page 7. Nakajima notes that many Japanese retirees live alone and that multigenerational households often face conflict over values such as wasting leftovers. He recommends building retirement communities, including in the U.S., for a million Japanese.
• The Question of Identity, by Robert H. Kono, page 7. Kono reflects on identity, arguing that our sense of self as Americans is felt rather than analytically discerned. He suggests Japanese American heritage is a matter of appreciation and that the incarceration experience can spur individual self-realization.
• Okichi, by Jin Konomi, page 7. This installment of a history series recounts Okichi, a young woman from Shimoda who served Townsend Harris, the first U.S. minister to Japan. It traces her ostracism and tragic later life and her posthumous popularization in Japanese culture.

Community

• Return urged for Little Tokyo ‘Northside’, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Little Tokyo group proposes removing the north side of East First Street from the Civic Center Master Plan so the area can be redeveloped locally. The area has remained in limbo for a decade, with businesses operating month to month.
• Caucasians still flunk dental exam in Hawaii, by P.C. Staff, page 2. After a 1976 federal suit alleging racial bias, Hawaii adopted blind grading for dental exams. Results from the August exam showed most Caucasian applicants failed while most applicants of Asian ancestry passed.
• One Person Makes a Difference, by Karl Nobuyuki, page 2. Seiko Wakabayashi, a Nisei from the East Coast, persuaded State Advisory Committee chairpersons of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights to endorse the internment commission bill. Nobuyuki credits her initiative as an example of how one person can make a difference.

Obituaries

• Sansei stewardess killed in aircrash, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Teresa Sugano Haley, 26, a Sansei stewardess, died in the October crash of a Western Airlines DC-10 in Mexico City. Her remains were returned to Long Beach, where she had grown up.

Military & Veterans

• 100th Bn. 442nd Infantry hurting for men, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry is operating at only 60 percent of its authorized strength in the all-volunteer Army. Membership is no longer all-Nisei as it was when the unit formed in 1942.

JACL

• EXECOM called for Nov. 10 meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 2. JACL National President Clifford Uyeda is convening the National Executive Committee to clarify the organization’s position on redress ahead of upcoming commission bill hearings. The legislative advisory team will share anticipated legislative actions needed for passage.

Arts & Entertainment

• ‘Hiroshima’ sounds going nationwide, by Cindy Ogawa, page 3. Hiroshima, a nine-piece Asian American band from Los Angeles, released its debut album on Arista Records, blending contemporary music with traditional Asian instruments. Leader Dan Kuramoto says the band’s music reflects their lives and culture as Asian Americans.
• ‘The Chauvinist and Other Stories’ second Toshio Mori book out, by P.C. Staff, page 3. UCLA’s Asian American Studies Center has published The Chauvinist and Other Stories, a collection of 23 short stories by Toshio Mori chronicling Japanese American life from the 1930s through World War II and beyond. The book is Mori’s second collection, following Yokohama, California.

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