Karl Nobuyuki’s resignation dispute and the push for redress

Vol. 90, No. 96, June 6, 1980. 8 pages. View this issue

The front page of the June 6, 1980 Pacific Citizen carried National JACL Director Karl Nobuyuki’s statement that he had signed no letter of resignation and did not intend to sign one. National President Clifford Uyeda gave the organization’s side in his column on page 4. Redress was the other main subject: John Tateishi explained the JACL National Redress Committee’s position on seeking a commission, the ACLU of Southern California board backed three redress bills, and forums in Cambridge and the Twin Cities discussed the World War II incarceration (often called internment).

Elsewhere in these eight pages are the Defense Language Institute’s dedication of three buildings to Nisei intelligence men, Bill Hosokawa’s account of Navy doctor Cecil Henry Coggins and the 442nd, and Floyd Shimomura’s report on voting reform ahead of the national convention in San Francisco. Harry Honda covered the Nisei Relays, and Sachi Seko wrote a letter to the late Toshio Mori.

What’s in this issue

National

• Nobuyuki: ‘No Letter of Resignation Signed’; So—, page 1. National JACL Director Karl Nobuyuki declared that he had not signed and did not intend to sign a letter of resignation, despite reports he was resigning effective June 1. Nobuyuki said he was upset by being given only two weeks notice compared to his predecessor Ushio’s eight months, and wanted the truth to be aired.
• Utility Report Urges Lower Rates for Poor, page 1. Civil rights officials released reports in Denver urging lower utility rates for the poor and increased hiring of women and minorities in the energy industry. Minoru Yasui, chairman of the Colorado advisory committee to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, said the burden of the energy crisis falls disproportionately on the poor and called for addressing energy needs with regard for disparate effects on various population segments.
• Presidential Aspirants Touch on Asian American Issues, page 1. The Asian and Pacific American Research Center released a report on presidential candidates’ positions on issues affecting the Asian and Pacific American community, based on a questionnaire sent to candidates including Bush, Carter, Kennedy, and Anderson. Project Director Hayden Lee said politicians still do not perceive Asian Americans as an organized voting bloc, and urged the community to organize.
• Catamaran Voyage, page 1. A cruise was attempted to determine whether ancient Japanese could have sailed to South America via North America. A 40-foot double-hulled catamaran, the Yasei-go, set sail from Shimoda on an 11,000-mile journey toward San Francisco, Acapulco, Guayaquil, and Lima under skipper Sonenobu Fujimoto.
• WSJ Article Criticized, page 2. A Wall Street Journal article on crime in Hawaii was criticized for being a negative ‘scare story’ that cherry-picked quotes, according to a hotel association spokesperson named Bremmer. An FBI agent quoted in the piece disputed being ‘run out of town’ for his comments comparing Waikiki’s safety to Central Park’s.
• Kagawa Memorial Hall Sought, page 2. Sumimoto Kagawa launched a fund-raising campaign to build a 250-million-yen memorial hall in Tokyo honoring his father, evangelist-philosopher Toyohiko Kagawa, who died 20 years ago. The hall will serve as a research center for materials on the elder Kagawa, whose influence spawned cooperative movements, credit unions, and the Socialist Party in Japan.

Military & Veterans

• DLI Buildings Dedicated, page 1. The Defense Language Institute in Monterey dedicated three academic buildings to Terry Mizutari, Frank Hachiya and George Nakamura, Nisei intelligence men killed in action during WW2. The ceremony included a 21-gun salute, wreath-laying by veterans and civic organizations, and remarks from DLI commandant Col. Thomas G. Foster III.
• WW2 Mystery: Cecil Henry Coggins, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa recounts the story of Navy obstetrician Cecil Henry Coggins, who became involved in counterespionage surveillance of Japanese fishing boats off Long Beach before WW2 and later trained Nisei counterespionage agents in Hawaii. Coggins used his firsthand experience with loyal Nisei agents to argue successfully for ending the relocation camps and forming Japanese American Army units like the 442nd.

Community

• L.A. Police’s Asian Task Force Dropped From 1980 City Budget, page 1. Los Angeles City Councilman Marvin Braude’s comparison of the Asian Task Force to a hypothetical task force for Jews and the rich sparked the city council’s finance committee to drop the LAPD’s Asian Task Force from the budget. Attorney Michael Yamaki argued the unit, led by Sgt. Shiro Tomita, should be a permanent budget item given the growing Asian population and need for bilingual officers.
• Exec. Director Job Open in Seattle, page 2. The Washington State Commission on Asian American Affairs is seeking a new executive director with a filing deadline of June 20 and a salary of $23,500. Diane Wong resigned after 20 months of service, citing personal reasons and a move to Oakland.
• $750,000 Campaign Opens for New No. Cal. Japanese Center, page 2. A major fundraising effort to raise $750,000 within the Northern California Nikkei community was announced by fund campaign chairman Tad Hirota to support construction of the $3-million Japanese Cultural and Community Center in San Francisco’s Nihonmachi. Board president David Asano stressed the urgency of community support, warning that a land gift from the Nihonmachi Development Corporation could be withdrawn without concrete action this year.
• New Englanders Discuss Evacuation Eye-to-Eye, page 6. A public forum titled ‘A Case for Redress’ was held in Cambridge, Massachusetts, drawing parallels between the WW2 Japanese American evacuation and contemporary anti-Iranian actions. Panelists including Dr. Eiji Suyama and several Japanese Americans who experienced internment shared personal accounts, while legal experts discussed the constitutionality of the exclusion orders.
• Japan in Albuquerque Program Acclaimed, page 6. ‘Japan in Albuquerque,’ a citywide cultural celebration, concluded May 31 after bringing together the New Mexico JACL, Shigin Club, and the Albuquerque-Sasebo Sister Cities Association for the first time. The opening reception at the Main Library featured flower arrangements, entertainment, and Japanese refreshments, with Sonya Yonemoto serving as JACL liaison.
• Fremont Charity Bowl Raises Funds, page 6. Fremont’s first annual Charity Bowl was held at Mowry Lanes, raising $5,200 for nine non-profit charity organizations from 72 bowlers. California First Bank presented cash prizes to top teams, including Fremont JACL, SAVE shelter, Fremont Fire Fighters Assn., and EBIH senior housing.
• Nisei Relays Queen, page 7. Janet Yoshie Nakagawa of Pasadena JACL was crowned Miss 1980 Nisei Relays at the PSWDC quarterly session hosted by West Los Angeles JACL. Her court included representatives from Hollywood JACL, San Fernando Valley JACL, and Orange County JACL.
• Garden Rededicated, page 7. The Japanese garden at Orange County’s civic center in Santa Ana was rededicated in ceremonies chaired by Justice Stephen K. Tamura and attended by civic and community dignitaries including Mrs. Hitoshi Nitta and Danny Pena.
• Minnesotans Show Support for Redress Bills, page 8. The Twin Cities JACL and Mid-West District JACL Council held a forum on redress legislation featuring Rep. Bruce Vento and panelists including Sam Honda, Marion Iijima, Terry Kurokawa, and Gloria Kumagai. Support for the National JACL Redress Committee campaign and bills S1647 and HR5499 appears substantial in the Minnesota region.

Incarceration & Redress

• S.C. ACLU Board Backs Redress Bills, page 1. The ACLU of Southern California board of directors endorsed three bills seeking redress for the WW2 internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans, including S1647, HR5499, and HR5977. The National Council of Churches and the United Methodist Church also expressed support for redress legislation.
• What Did Army Tell JACL in 1942?, by James M. Watanabe, M.D., page 4. A letter writer recalls a 1942 meeting in Firwood, Washington, where JACL representatives explained that the Army had given Japanese Americans a choice between risky forced removal or cooperative relocation assistance. He urges research and documentation to establish these facts before any future study commission examines JACL’s wartime cooperation with the Army.
• Redress Phase 2, by John Tateishi, page 6. Tateishi clarifies the JACL National Redress Committee’s position on seeking a commission to recommend ‘appropriate remedies’ for Japanese American WW2 internment, addressing criticism that the JACL hasn’t settled on a specific compensation plan. He argues that a presidential commission offers a better vehicle for achieving an acceptable settlement than directly demanding compensation from Congress, given current budget constraints.

Commentary

• Business in July-August, by Harry Honda, page 3. The editor explains changes to the Pacific Citizen’s printing schedule, noting the paper will skip publication every other week through July and August with double-dated issues to minimize reader confusion. He hopes clarifying the new frequency format now will reduce questions from subscribers over the summer.
• Nat’l Director, by Clifford Uyeda, page 4. National JACL President Clifford Uyeda reflects on his reasons for seeking the JACL presidency, including wanting to support National Director Karl Nobuyuki’s success, and acknowledges their shared goals despite procedural differences. Uyeda states that differing managerial approaches could not be resolved and it was mutually agreed that Nobuyuki’s departure was in the organization’s best interest.
• Enomoto Deserves United Asian Support, page 4. A guest editorial criticizes the firing of former California prison chief Jerry Enomoto by Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration, calling it a discriminatory act against the highest-ranking Asian American in state government. The editorial praises Enomoto’s courageous protest and calls for unified Asian American support, lamenting that other Asian ethnic groups have been slow to rally behind him.
• Our Unfinished Missive to ‘Dear Toshio’, by Sachi Seko, page 4. The author reflects on an unfinished letter to writer Toshio Mori, who died at age 70, expressing admiration for his short story collection and recalling conversations with Larry Tajiri about Mori’s potential to write the definitive ‘Nisei novel.’ The piece laments that Mori’s death leaves the Nisei novel still unwritten, suggesting it falls to the current generation of writers to complete this literary legacy.

Sports

• Orange County Wins Nisei Relays 4-Straight!, by Harry Honda, page 3. Orange County won its fourth consecutive PSWDC Nisei Relays title at Santa Ana College, with over 300 athletes competing and 25 records broken. Decathlete Fred Dixon presented trophies, including the Merit Savings Trophy to Orange County and individual honors to Mike Okura and Alan Just.
• NCWN Swim Meet Set for July 27, page 3. The NCWNDC will host the National JACL Swim Meet at Gunn High School in Palo Alto on July 27, immediately preceding the National JACL convention in San Francisco.

JACL

• Voting Reform, by Floyd Shimomura, page 5. The JACL Constitutional Revision Committee recommends changes to the national officer nomination process, including allowing outside-district nominations, permitting multiple nominees from the same district, and allowing the National Council to close nominations after floor nominations. The revised constitution will be presented at the National Convention in San Francisco in July-August 1980.

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