Redress and the World War II incarceration, debated in Seattle

Vol. 90, No. 79, February 8, 1980. 8 pages. View this issue

A Seattle conference on the World War II incarceration (often called internment) led the front page. Close to 400 people filled the hall for the first in a series of statewide conferences, where Rep. Mike Lowry spoke on his direct financial redress bill and Gordon Hirabayashi and playwright Frank Chin took part in the debate. Inside, a Washington state advisory committee to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission backed reparation, and JACL officers at the first 1980 EXECOM meeting, reported by Harry Honda, argued over the Seattle forum, redress and dues.

The commentary pages carried Clifford Uyeda on foreign tourists in China, Jin Konomi on ethnic identity, Bill Hosokawa on the words “dry” and “wet,” and Robert H. Kono on Tsurezure Gusa. Chapter news came from Portland, French Camp, Coachella Valley, Sonoma County and Washington, D.C. Also found here: a new Edward Sakamoto play at East West Players and George Takei’s science fiction paperback.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• Seattle Confab Explores Internment Perspectives, page 1. A standing-room-only crowd of nearly 400 attended the first in a series of statewide conferences on ‘Contemporary Perspectives on the Internment’ in Seattle, featuring Rep. Mike Lowry discussing his direct financial redress bill and State Supreme Court Justice James Dolliver addressing racism in the Supreme Court’s internment rulings. Speakers including Gordon Hirabayashi and playwright Frank Chin, acting as devil’s advocate, debated the issue, which concluded with consensus supporting redress.
• Civil Rights Body Backs Reparation, page 3. The Washington state advisory committee to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission voted to recommend compensation for Japanese Americans interned during World War II. Minoru Masuda testified that the 1948 Japanese-American Evacuation Claims Act paid only $38 million against an estimated $400 million in financial losses.

JACL

• Redress, Higher Dues for ’80s Budget Studied by EXECOM, by Harry Honda, page 1. JACL national officers met at the first 1980 EXECOM meeting in San Francisco to discuss internal matters including the budget, dues increases, and constitutional revisions. A heated discussion arose over the Seattle redress forum, with John Tateishi criticizing the event for appearing to break from national policy, while other officers defended the chapter’s right to host open debate.
• Nat’l JACL Youth Conference Slated, page 1. The national youth conference sponsored by Japanese American Youth (JACL) has been scheduled for July 22-27 at Sacramento State University. The announcement was made by Bruce Shimizu, national JACL youth director.

National

• Carter Budget ‘Disappoints’ Mineta as 79% ‘Uncontrollable’, page 1. Rep. Norman Y. Mineta expressed disappointment with President Carter’s FY1981 budget request, which projected a $15.8 billion deficit due to rising defense and foreign aid spending amid Mideast crises. Mineta explained that nearly 79% of the budget is comprised of ‘uncontrollable’ spending from past congressional actions, and he continues to advocate for multi-year budget planning to address this issue.
• Hayakawa Wants Olympic Site Moved, page 2. Sen. S.I. Hayakawa stated his support for moving the 1980 Olympic Games out of Moscow to a location such as Montreal or the Rose Bowl. He made the comment upon returning from a tour of Asian countries.
• Washington, D.C. JACL Installation Dinner-Dance, page 6. Neil Goldschmidt, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, was the main speaker at the Washington, D.C. JACL’s 33rd annual installation dinner-dance, introduced by Rep. Norman Y. Mineta. Goldschmidt previously served as mayor of Portland, Oregon before his federal appointment.
• Texas Urged to Test ‘Bullet Train’, page 8. The Texas Railroad Commission is seeking federal assistance to introduce Japanese-style ‘bullet trains’ that could reduce travel time dramatically compared to current motor and rail options. Japan National Railway’s New York director Takeshi Tamura told the commission that JNR’s technology could be readily adapted for Texas use.

Community

• Cal State L.A. Japanese Ctr. to Enrich Holdings, Activities, page 2. The Center for Japanese Studies at California State University, Los Angeles, plans to expand its holdings of Japanese research materials and cultural programming under director Kazumitsu Kato. The Center, founded in 1975, has also piloted an intensive Japanese language program with strong enrollment including many non-Japanese students.
• First Tenant Moves into New JACCC, page 2. The Japan America Society of Southern California became the first tenant organization to move into the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in Los Angeles. Other prospective tenants include the Chamber of Commerce, Nisei Week Japanese Festival, and the Japan Foundation western U.S. office.
• NHK’s America Monogatari Slated, page 2. The NHK series ‘America Monogatari’ with English subtitles will air on United TV Broadcasting Systems in Los Angeles on three Mondays in February and March. The series has previously aired in Hawaii and San Francisco.
• Hosokawa, Hokoyama for Meet at Houston, page 6. Bill Hosokawa will keynote the 1980 Mountain Plains JACL District Council’s winter session in Houston, Feb. 22-24, alongside associate national director J.D. Hokoyama. The session will include workshops, a Port of Houston tour, and an optional visit to Johnson Spacecraft Center.
• Coachella Valley JACL Honors Three Pioneers, page 6. The Coachella Valley JACL held a potluck dinner honoring three Issei pioneer women with lacquered bowls, featuring a presentation by lecturer Amy Uno Ishii on the Japanese American camp experience. Over 200 people attended, including local school officials and farm trainees from Japan.
• French Camp JACL Installs New Officers, page 6. The French Camp JACL installed Hiroshi Shinmoto as president at its annual New Year’s Party, with J.D. Hokoyama presiding over the installation and reporting on redress bill progress. Longtime leader John Fujiki received a special appreciation award and a Seiko watch for his three terms as president and community service.
• Portland Chapter Installation Dinner, page 6. At the Portland JACL’s installation dinner, speaker Steve Kanter warned attendees to remain vigilant against civil rights abuses, drawing parallels between the Japanese American evacuation and contemporary events involving Iran. New officers including Herb Okamoto as president were installed by Dr. Jim Tsujimura, with Christi Iwasaki urging greater Sansei participation in JACL.
• Sonoma County JACL to Show ‘Ameyuki-San’ TV Drama, page 6. Sonoma County JACL is sponsoring a free showing of the Japanese TV drama ‘Ameyuki-San,’ based on the life of Mme. Yamada Waka, a onetime prostitute turned feminist critic. The Sonoma County JAYs will also hold their annual crab and spaghetti feed on Feb. 16 at Emmanji Memorial Hall.
• Japanese Spending More, Tokyo Says, page 7. Japan’s Economic Planning Agency reported that consumer spending rose 4.8% in February after inflation adjustment, marking the sharpest gain since December. Despite still having the world’s highest savings rate, Japanese consumers are increasingly spending on leisure activities like dining out, cars, and tourism.

Obituaries

• Sam Ishikawa, 58, Dies of Stroke; PR Partner of Mike Masaoka in New York, page 2. Sam Ishikawa, who worked in public relations with Mike Masaoka and served as a JACL associate national secretary from 1948-1953, died of a stroke at age 58. He had assisted evacuees leaving wartime internment camps and served on the U.S. Secretary of Commerce’s importers’ advisory committee; he is survived by his mother and sister.

Arts & Entertainment

• East West Players to Premiere 4th Original Sakamoto Play, page 2. Edward Sakamoto’s play ‘Hawaii No Ka Oi’ opens Feb. 7 at East West Players, marking the fourth original Sakamoto work premiered there, directed by Mako. The play consists of two one-act stories, ‘Aala Park’ and ‘Manoa Valley,’ depicting life in Hawaii around the time of statehood in 1959.
• ‘Star Trek’ Star Takei Writes Book, page 6. George Takei co-authored ‘Mirror Friend, Mirror Foe,’ a science fiction paperback about a mercenary named Hosato who must stop murderous robots while concealing his identity as a Ninja assassin. The book is published by Playboy Press.

Commentary

• Foreign Tourists, by Clifford Uyeda, page 4. In this President’s Corner column, Dr. Clifford Uyeda recounts observing the stark contrast between crowded local transport and the comfort of foreign tourist buses while traveling in China. He reflects on his discomfort witnessing a bus driver honking impatiently at local workers, and an incident where a rock was thrown at the tourist bus by an angry local.
• Ethnic Identity: An Individual Matter, by Jin Konomi, page 4. In this Moshi Moshi column, Jin Konomi critiques Dr. Darrel Montero’s academic studies on Japanese American ethnic identity, questioning what constitutes true ethnic identity beyond physical appearance. The author argues that ultimately ethnic identity is a highly individual matter, closing with a personal childhood anecdote about identity and appearance.
• Mike Yaki’s Talk, by Joe Oyama, page 4. In this letter to the editor, Joe Oyama responds to Mike Yaki’s thesis that Nisei achievement is driven by hostility and love-hate feelings, arguing instead that Nisei resilience stemmed from surviving racism, internment, and postwar hardship. Oyama also challenges Yaki’s claim that Japanese Americans are ‘closet racists’ toward other minorities, noting his own experience of greater empathy within the JACL community.
• Chapter Presidents, by Harry Aoyagi, page 4. A letter to the editor from Harry Aoyagi of Denver corrects an error in the PC’s New Year Issue roster, noting the Yo-Solano chapter listing was incorrect even though the chapter no longer exists. He wanted the record corrected for accuracy.
• Short Notes, by Vicky Mikesell, page 4. A letter from Vicky Mikesell of the Dayton JACL expresses approval of the PC’s modernization and hopes membership renewal could run year-round rather than being tied to the calendar year. She also raises questions about voting membership requirements referencing Mike Masaoka’s prior statements on citizenship.
• Characteristics of Doh-rai, Wetto, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. In this From the Frying Pan column, Bill Hosokawa explores the differing connotations of the English words ‘dry’ and ‘wet’ when adopted into Japanese slang versus British and American English usage. He cites a syndicated column by Georgie Anne Geyer on British political ‘wets’ and contrasts this with Japanese and American meanings, illustrating the complexity of cross-cultural language use.
• Tsurezure Gusa, by Robert H. Kono, page 5. In this Random Musings column, Robert Kono examines the classical Japanese literary work ‘Tsurezure Gusa’ by Yoshida Kenko, a 14th-century Buddhist priest whose essays cover life, love, Buddhism, and worldly vanity. Kono highlights several passages on romantic relationships and marriage, arguing that reading Kenko is essential to understanding Japanese thought and culture.

In-Depth

• Farmers Guard Hemp Crops, page 4. Farmers in Kanuma, Tochigi, Japan, produce about 90% of the nation’s hemp crop, historically used for rope, geta thongs, and sumo ceremonial trappings. Due to theft by youths seeking marijuana, farmers have organized 24-hour watch points to guard against non-resident vehicles, while researchers work to develop a strain without hallucinatory properties.

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