The 1980 elections and what Reagan’s win meant for redress

Vol. 91, No. 15, November 14, 1980. 12 pages. View this issue

The Pacific Citizen turned to the aftermath of the Nov. 4 elections. On the front page, the JACL Washington Office was preparing an issue-by-issue review of how a more conservative Congress and the incoming Reagan administration would affect Japanese American concerns. John Tateishi, chairman of the National Committee for Redress, announced plans to educate the public about the World War II incarceration (often called internment), and the JACL sent 12 names to the White House for the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians. Commentary from Harry Honda, Bill Hosokawa and Tateishi looked at Reagan’s record and the road ahead for redress.

Elsewhere in the issue are election results for Nisei candidates, including Rep. Bob Matsui and Rep. Norman Mineta. Michi Weglyn and Dr. Clifford Uyeda wrote columns, and reviews cover books on Japanese American history and ethnic identity. A front-page story tells how the Navy hired 500 Hawaiian Nisei for secret prewar work near Pearl Harbor.

What’s in this issue

National

• JACL Preparing In-Depth Review of Political Change, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Following the landslide election of Ronald Reagan, the JACL Washington Office is preparing an issue-by-issue review of how the new conservative Congress and administration will affect Japanese American concerns. The White House and Congress were also expected to soon announce appointments to the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians.
• 2 Idaho Nisei Elected; Bannai, Mori Defeated, by P.C. Staff, page 1. In the Nov. 4 elections, Idaho Nisei George Shiozawa and Mike Shiosaki won local offices while California Assemblymen Paul Bannai and Floyd Mori were defeated after bitter campaigns. The article also notes Reagan’s landslide victory and mixed Japanese press reactions to the U.S. election results.
• Japan Firm in L.A. Hit for Bid-Rigging, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A federal jury found Marubeni America Corp. guilty on 63 counts of racketeering, wire fraud, mail fraud and bribery in an $8-million cable supply bid-rigging scheme. Nisei supervisor Leigh Raymond Tamura was convicted on 59 counts, marking the first successful use of the RICO statute against a foreign corporation operating in the U.S.

Incarceration & Redress

• Education Foremost Push on Redress, by P.C. Staff, page 1. John Tateishi, chairman of the JACL National Committee for Redress, announced plans to broadly educate the American public about the WWII Evacuation and Internment in light of the conservative shift in Congress. The committee is studying psychological, sociological and economic impacts of the camps and exploring legal avenues, including enabling legislation modeled on the Sioux Nation case.

Military & Veterans

• Navy Hired 500 Hawaiian Nisei to Work in Prewar Secret Task, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Despite prewar distrust of Japanese Americans, the U.S. Navy secretly hired 500 local Japanese Americans in Hawaii to help build the ‘Red Hill’ underground oil storage facility near Pearl Harbor beginning in 1940. The $43 million project, employing about 3,400 workers total, continued at a furious pace even after the Pearl Harbor attack.

JACL

• JACL Reveals List of 12 Commission Nominees, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL announced it had forwarded 12 recommendations to the White House for the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians, including Minoru Yasui, William Marutani, Isamu Noguchi, Arthur Goldberg and Walter Cronkite. Tateishi said the list reflected a broad cross-section of experience and JACL’s position that a Japanese American should serve on the commission.
• JACL Resource Manual Being Compiled, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The JACL Washington Office is compiling a new JACL National Resource Manual including the national directory, constitution, bylaws, and listings of Asian and Pacific American organizations and officials. Members may submit suggestions by the Jan. 30, 1981 deadline.

Community

• Election Notes: Matsui, Mineta Win Re-Election; Yoshikawa Wins Close Race, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Rep. Bob Matsui and Rep. Norman Mineta were both re-elected to Congress, while Stockton JACLer Richard Yoshikawa narrowly won a second term as San Joaquin county supervisor by 200 votes. Mike Shiosaki also won as Bingham County sheriff in Idaho, believed to be the first Nisei county sheriff in the U.S.
• Equal Time Rule for Actors Eyed, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Rep. Henry Waxman introduced a bill to exempt actors in entertainment programs, such as Star Trek’s George Takei, from equal-time provisions when they run for office. The bill would prevent networks from pulling reruns featuring candidate-actors during campaigns.
• Art Contest, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Union Oil Company is sponsoring an art contest and exhibition for young Asian/Pacific artists at the Long Beach Recreation Center from Dec. 12 to Jan. 2. The contest is open to junior and senior high school students in Los Angeles and Orange counties.
• AACI Receives Refugee Grant, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Asian Americans for Community Involvement of Santa Clara County received a $222,000 grant to provide direct services to Southeast Asian refugees. Edward Kawazoe was named director of the new Indochinese services project, expected to serve 3,000 individuals over the next year.
• Nat’l Aging Confab Slated Jan. 1981, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A mini-conference titled ‘Pacific/Asians: the Wisdom of Age’ will be held Jan. 15-16 in San Francisco to prepare recommendations for the 1981 White House Conference on Aging. The event is open to all elderly conferees with reduced registration fees and translation services available.
• ‘You’re No. 1, Evelyn’, Selanoco Cheers, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Selanoco chapter is recognized for having the best membership growth nationally in 1979, with membership rising to 333 from 206. The chapter’s efforts included various fundraising and community activities led by its members.
• Alberta Museum Highlights Issei Pioneer Artifacts, by P.C. Staff, page 12. The Galt Museum in Lethbridge, Alberta, unveiled a Japanese Canadian artifact exhibit after two years of work and $20,000 in funding, the first major museum project involving the community. Items displayed include old photographs, a household Buddhist shrine, a Shinto goblin mask, and kendo outfits representing multiple generations.
• Boise Valley JACL Remodels Hall, by P.C. Staff, page 12. The Boise Valley JACL completed remodeling of its chapter hall through volunteer labor and donated materials, with costs split between the Boise Valley Judo Club and the chapter. The chapter will hold a dinner meeting Nov. 22 and a family bowling party Nov. 30 to benefit the building fund.

Arts & Entertainment

• Dance Collective, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Asian American Dance Collective, now in its sixth year, is holding its fall session on weeknights through UJCS in San Francisco. Information on the program is available by calling the center.
• East to America: Japanese Americans – What They Did for Us, and What We Did to Them, by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, page 9. Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston reviews ‘East to America’ by Robert Wilson and Bill Hosokawa, which chronicles the history of Japanese immigration to America from the 1860s through the 1978 JACL convention. The review praises the book’s depiction of Japanese American resilience against discriminatory laws, wartime internment, and the ongoing struggle for redress.

Commentary

• Gov. Reagan, by Harry Honda, page 4. Editor Harry Honda reviews Ronald Reagan’s record on Japanese American issues during his two terms as California governor, noting his appointments of Nisei to state boards and judgeships and his support for repealing Title II. Honda also recalls Reagan’s 1971 appearance at a JACL 1000 Club event in Tokyo, suggesting Nikkei are not strangers to the president-elect.
• Fever, by Dr. Clifford Uyeda, page 4. Dr. Clifford Uyeda explains that fever is generally a beneficial bodily response to infection, citing studies on lizards that show fever aids survival against pathogenic bacteria. He cautions against over-medicating fevers with aspirin, noting the dangers faced by infants and the elderly who fail to mount a fever response.
• ‘Years of Infamy’, by Michi Weglyn, page 4. Michi Weglyn responds to a letter from Dr. Bob Suzuki criticizing the JACL for using unattributed material from her book ‘Years of Infamy’ in Senate testimony. She argues that being quoted without credit in a cause she supports is not comparable to tawdry plagiarism, and suggests Suzuki’s outrage is disproportionate given the larger issues of redress and crimes against Asian American women.
• Letterbox: Proclaimed Policy Questioned, by Vaughn, Roseville, Ca., page 4. A reader questions when JACL’s proclaimed policy will be implemented regarding publication of Dr. Suzuki’s letter and the W. Weglyn letter, both published in other vernacular papers before running in the Pacific Citizen. The reader also references Walter Weglyn’s complaint about a missing copy of the PC.
• Chiaroscuro: Cut at the Cartoon, by Don Nakahata, page 4. Don Nakahata of Marin County JACL criticizes a Pacific Citizen cartoon depicting Nikkei as ‘thin-skinned’ and overly sensitive, calling it unfair personal ridicule of those who express differing views. He argues JACL should encourage, not discourage, members who speak out, especially as the Concentration Camp Commission hearings approach.
• Redress Phase 3: Since Nov. 4, by John Tateishi, page 4. John Tateishi reflects on the implications of the Nov. 4 elections for the redress movement, noting the loss of sympathetic congressmen like Frank Church and Birch Bayh. He cautions that while JACL has not changed its position on monetary compensation, the new conservative Congress makes securing redress appropriations extremely difficult.
• From the Frying Pan: New Political Nikkei Questions, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa examines how few Japanese Americans received appointments in the Carter administration and speculates on what opportunities, if any, the incoming Reagan administration might offer Nikkei. He traces the political history of Japanese Americans from early Republican leanings to New Deal-era Democratic loyalty, noting the irony of Roosevelt signing Executive Order 9066 while a Republican, Ford, later rescinded it.
• Washington Wrap-Up: Importance of Treaties Emphasized, by Ron Ikejiri, page 5. Ron Ikejiri reviews a book by Dr. Fukuda examining the legal history of discrimination against Japanese Americans, tracing its roots to weak diplomatic treaties between Japan and the U.S. The book argues that unfavorable treaties, not just U.S. laws, were responsible for the legal disadvantages faced by Japanese immigrants.
• Nisei in Japan: Religion – A Way of Life, by Barry Saiki, page 9. Barry Saiki explores how religion in Japan is woven into daily customs and seasonal festivals rather than practiced as formal Christian-style worship, from New Year’s temple visits to Obon and Shichi-Go-San celebrations. He describes how Buddhism, Shintoism, and traditional customs generate spiritual consciousness among Japanese people without formal religious instruction.
• Random Musings: A Further Point of Departure, by Robert Kono, page 12. Robert Kono reflects on the concept of ‘Japanese Americanism’ as a blend of patience, wisdom, faith, and fortitude forged through the historical experience of incarceration and postwar rebuilding. He argues this identity transcends stereotypes and rests on egalitarianism, humanistic values, and individualism central to the American Dream.

In-Depth

• Bookshelf: Japanese Americans – Changing Patterns of Ethnic Affiliation Over Three Generations, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A review highlights Dr. Darrel Montero’s nationwide study of three generations of Japanese Americans, which finds that ethnic solidarity is dissolving as succeeding generations assimilate into mainstream American life. The decade-long research raises questions about whether a distinct Japanese American community can persist into the fourth generation.

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