Redress, the wartime commission and national origin rules in 1980

Vol. 91, No. 13, October 31, 1980. 8 pages. View this issue

Redress ran through this issue. The front page reported nominations for the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians, including law professor Lawrence G. Sager and former President Gerald Ford, and JACL President Dr. James K. Tsujimura announced that the redress book was not copyrighted. On page 3, JACL members in Los Angeles honored Rep. George Danielson for his part in passing HR 3199, and Minoru Yasui was announced as a speaker on Redress. Page 4 carried a letter from Bob H. Suzuki and a formal apology from Tsujimura to Michi Weglyn over unacknowledged passages from her book. The front page also reported proposed EEOC guidelines on national origin discrimination, with a Nov. 18 deadline for public comment.

Other pages carry Harry Honda’s review of the film Hito Hata, Bill Hosokawa’s column, Kats Kunitsugu’s review of the play F.O.B., and reader letters on the Shogun miniseries. Chapter news fills page 6, with installation dinners and a keynote by Rep. Robert T. Matsui.

What’s in this issue

National

• EEOC Guidelines Bared for National Origins Bias, page 1. The White House announced proposed EEOC guidelines addressing discrimination based on national origin, published in the Federal Register with a Nov. 18 public comment deadline. The rules address English-only workplace rules and harassment based on national origin, requiring business necessity justification and employer notice.
• Postage Rates to Japan Up Jan. 1, page 4. International postage rates will increase by approximately one-third to one-half effective Jan. 1, affecting mail to Japan, Europe, and Asia. Airmail, aerogram, and surface rates will all see increases, with Pacific Citizen subscription rates for foreign subscribers also rising.
• Low Crime Rates in Japan, page 8. An editorial discusses Japan’s declining per capita crime rate over 20 years compared to skyrocketing rates in the U.S. and other Western countries, citing close social bonds and the role of prosecutors who favor rehabilitation over imprisonment. Japanese prosecutors use confession, apology, and restitution to encourage repentance rather than formal punishment.

Incarceration & Redress

• Non-JACL Input for WW2 Study Commission Body Made, page 1. The Asian American Law Students Assn. of Rutgers-Newark nominated law professor Lawrence G. Sager for the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians, while Bill Hohri of the National Council for Japanese American Redress nominated Rep. Robert Drinan and Prof. Charles Z. Smith. The President must fill three commission positions, with Sen. Inouye recommending former President Gerald Ford.

Community

• ‘Dream of Riches’ Exhibit Announced, page 1. Seattle JACL arranged for the Charles/Emma Frye Art Museum to display ‘Dream of Riches—Japanese Canadians, 1877-1977,’ a photographic exhibition, next April-May. The Univ. of Washington will present a concurrent archival exhibition on the Japanese American Evacuation.
• CCDC to Hear Hawaii’s Lt. Gov King Nov. 16, page 1. Hawaii’s first woman lieutenant governor, Jean Sadako King, will address the Central California JACL District Council convention dinner Nov. 16 in Fresno. The 31st annual convention includes business sessions, national JACL officials, and a workshop on Asian Woman-Asian Man issues.
• Pasadena Sansei Bids for ‘Roses’, page 1. Nisei Week princess Leslie Kim Kawai was selected among seven finalists for the 1981 Tournament of Roses queen from a field of 34 semi-finalists. She is the granddaughter of a Pasadena Issei pioneer who built the Japanese gardens at the Huntington Library.
• ‘East to America’ on the Move, page 1. Over 4,000 copies of ‘East to America’ have shipped since Sept. 1, according to JACL-JARP chairman Shig Wakamatsu. The book has received top reviews nationally and PC subscribers were sent ordering materials.
• Koban Favored, page 1. The Nihonmachi Merchants Assn. in San Francisco decided to favor a Japanese-style police box (koban) to be built at the Post St. end of Buchanan Mall. The koban may be operational by next spring with city police and youth patrol staffing.
• AADAP Program, page 1. The National Endowment for the Humanities awarded $2,500 to the Asian American Drug Abuse Program to fund workshops on Japanese American awareness. Interested parties were directed to contact Patrick Ogawa.
• Idaho Science Camper Recalled to Staff, page 2. Dave Ishii, 1979 valedictorian of Payette High School in Idaho, was invited back to serve on staff at the National Youth Science Camp in West Virginia. He is the first Idahoan to serve on the camp staff and is studying electrical engineering at the Univ. of Idaho.
• UPAC Building Acquisition Underway, page 2. The Union of Pan Asian Communities in San Diego has launched a campaign to raise a down payment for a new building to replace their current rented space. Representative Vernon Yoshioka noted current rental costs are $3,000 a month, making a purchase more sensible long-term.
• Mayor Sato Mugged on Wilshire Blvd., page 2. Long Beach Mayor Eunice Sato escaped serious injury after being knocked down by two men who snatched her purse near Lafayette Park. She was treated at Queen of Angels Hospital for a cut over her eye and bruises.
• Cherry Trees Donated to Oxnard Park, page 2. Woodrow Wilson Community Park in Oxnard was dedicated with 50 flowering Japanese cherry trees donated by Mayor Tsujio Kato in honor of his late father and the Sumitomo Bank of California. The $10,000 park includes an art center, senior center, and recreational facilities.
• Fish Bowl, by John Saito, page 6. John Saito recounts a South Bay JACL chapter dinner event featuring Dr. Harry Kitano discussing a 1929 Carnegie Foundation survey on Japanese Americans. The event included a fundraising fish bowl and recognition of past president Ed Hattori with a sapphire pin.
• New England JACL Issues Welcome, page 6. The New England JACL chapter welcomes Japanese American students in the Boston area to participate in chapter activities. The chapter, composed substantially of students and university people, connects out-of-state students with the resident Nikkei community.
• Eden JACL-AAYs Installation Nov. 8, page 6. Vernon Yoshioka of San Diego will address the Eden Township JACL-AAYs joint installation dinner at Francesco’s Restaurant on Nov. 8. Honored guests include several area mayors and entertainment will feature Betty Ine on accordion.
• Chapter Pulse, page 6. A roundup of chapter news including East LA’s Scholarship Ball, Fresno JACL’s Nisei Appreciation Dinner, Marin County volleyball tournament, Pasadena JACL scholarship recipient, Portland JACL dues increase discussions, Seattle JACL scholarship recipients, Selanoco JACL’s installation plans featuring poet Mitsuye Yamada, San Fernando Valley installation dinner, and West Los Angeles JACL installation dinner with Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke as speaker. Sonoma County JACL also reported on membership dues deliberations and a successful fundraising event with Enmanji Temple.
• Asian Task Force, page 8. The City Employees Asian American Assn. hosted a dinner at New Otani Hotel honoring police officers of the Asian Task Force for their effective work with the Asian community. KNBC news anchor Tritia Toyota served as emcee for the event.

JACL

• Redress Book Not Copyrighted, page 1. JACL President Dr. James K. Tsujimura announced that the copyright notice in the latest edition of ‘The Japanese American Incarceration: A Case for Redress’ should be obliterated since JACL never filed for copyright. Chapters with the Third Edition were asked to blacken out the copyright line.
• Min Yasui to Address San Diego JACL, page 3. Minoru Yasui, Denver’s director of community relations, will speak on Redress at the 1981 San Diego JACL installation dinner. He will be joined by Dr. Harvey Itano and Joe Yamada, both honored members of the chapter.
• JACLers in L.A. Fete Rep. Danielson, page 3. East Los Angeles and Pan Asian JACL members co-hosted a reception for Rep. George Danielson in recognition of his role in passing HR 3199, establishing the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians. John Tateishi presented the National JACL certificate of appreciation.
• JACL Apology, by James K. Tsujimura, page 4. National JACL President James K. Tsujimura issued a formal apology to Michi Weglyn for unacknowledged passages from her book ‘Years of Infamy’ used in Senate testimony. JACL stated the failure was unintentional and has taken remedial steps to give Weglyn full credit.
• Matsui to Keynote Chicago JACL Inaugural, page 6. Rep. Robert T. Matsui (D-Ca.) will address the 36th annual Chicago JACL Inaugural dinner-dance on Dec. 6 at the Orrington Hotel. Matsui, born in Sacramento in 1941, was elected to the U.S. House in 1978 after serving on the Sacramento City Council.

Arts & Entertainment

• F.O.B., by Kats Kunitsugu, page 1. David Henry Hwang’s play ‘F.O.B.’ received its West Coast premiere by the East West Players, exploring the conflict between an immigrant and an Americanized Chinese American youth. The review discusses the play’s themes of cultural identity and heritage through the lens of Hwang’s background and the production’s staging.
• F.O.B. (continued), by Kats Kunitsugu, page 7. The continuation of the F.O.B. review discusses the play’s flashback sequences depicting the characters’ mythic alter-egos Kwan Kung and Fa Mu Lan, and critiques the play’s unclear point of view between the immigrant Steve and Americanized Dale. Kim Yumiko’s performance as Grace is highlighted as a standout in the production.
• ‘Jelly Belly’ Opens at AATW Nov. 14, page 8. The Asian American Theater Workshop will premiere ‘Jelly Belly,’ a comedy by Jon Shirota directed by Judi Nihei, focusing on two overweight characters, Dwight and Wanda. Preview performances are scheduled for Nov. 12-13 with official opening Nov. 14.

Commentary

• Reagan Now!, by Mrs. Toshi Yamamoto, page 3. A public service announcement from Mrs. Toshi Yamamoto describing her appointment by Gov. Reagan as the first woman and minority examiner on the State Barbers’ Board. She credits the Governor’s encouragement for her continued civil service position.
• Editor’s Desk: ‘Hito Hata’, by Harry Honda, page 4. Harry Honda reviews the world premiere of ‘Hito Hata,’ the first all-Asian American feature film production by Visual Communications, which drew over 1,200 attendees at the L.A. Music Center. He praises the film’s depiction of Nisei Week, Little Tokyo, and the Japanese American community’s generational struggles.
• Letterbox: On San Francisco Center Players, by Joe Oyama, page 4. Joe Oyama praises the Pacific Southwest JACL District Council’s ‘Asian Images’ literary supplement and the San Francisco Center Players theatrical group, which has staged 80 programs of 13 plays across 15 communities. He describes his own involvement with the group and its playwright-in-residence Hiroshi Kashiwagi.
• Letterbox: More on Shogun, page 4. A reader critiques NBC’s Shogun miniseries for its fictional, theatrical distortion of feudal Japan and Bushido, arguing it reduces a profound ethical way of life to simplistic behavior. The writer compares it to Gilbert and Sullivan’s ‘Mikado’ as a farcical pseudo-Japanese opera.
• Letterbox: ‘Years of Infamy’, by Bob H. Suzuki, PhD, page 4. Dr. Bob Suzuki criticizes JACL for plagiarizing large portions of Michi Weglyn’s book ‘Years of Infamy’ in Senate testimony without proper credit. He calls for JACL to make a public apology and widely distribute Weglyn’s book to educate officials and the public on redress issues.
• Letterbox: A Pleasant Surprise, by Paul Yamanaka, page 4. A new JACL member from Hawaii expresses pleasant surprise at seeing his sister actively writing letters in the Pacific Citizen. He suggests she write a column representing Hawaiian Nisei perspectives.
• Letterbox: Short Notes, by Paula and Bruce Shimizu, page 4. Paula and Bruce Shimizu thank participants of the 1980 National JACL Convention for their generous gifts and support during national council sessions before their wedding. They express heartfelt gratitude to all who contributed.
• From the Frying Pan: ‘Haji’ vs. Emotional Vulnerability, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa discusses Darrel Montero’s book on Japanese American ethnic affiliation, examining how Japanese social organization enforces conformity through shame-orientation and fear of ostracism. He highlights how Japanese American journalists are increasingly covering their own community’s issues, from WWII heroes to generational conflicts over redress and career choices.
• Chiaroscuro: Chapter Challenge, by Douglas Urata, page 5. Riverside JACL President Douglas Urata describes a joint meeting between Riverside and Coachella Valley chapters featuring Phil Shigekuni leading discussions on Redress and personal Evacuation experiences. Urata challenges other JACL chapters to host similar discussions to build support for the Redress movement.
• A Point of Departure, by Robert Kono, page 8. Robert Kono reflects on NBC’s Shogun miniseries as a point of departure to discuss Japanese American identity, arguing that while Japanese culture forms part of their heritage, Japanese Americans’ thinking and consciousness are fundamentally American. He explores the concept of Japanese Americanism as rooted in shared experiences like internment and a faith in American egalitarian ideals rather than Japanese cultural tenets alone.

Military & Veterans

• Mizutari Plaque, page 3. Classmates of Terry Mizutari, a 1938 Hilo High School graduate, presented a memorial plaque to the Defense Language Institute honoring Nisei MIS combat intelligence men killed during WW2. The plaque was placed in a school building dedicated to their memory.
• This Week in Pacific Citizen 35 Years Ago, page 5. A historical column recaps events from 35 years prior as reported in the Pacific Citizen, including the 442nd’s Lost Battalion rescue unit receiving Presidential Unit citation, Nisei MIS buildings being named, and families facing resettlement challenges after camp closures. It also notes legislative efforts to eliminate anti-Nisei sections from Canadian citizenship revocation acts.

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