Reagan’s economics, gun control and the Redress movement in 1981

Vol. 92, No. 14, April 10, 1981. 8 pages. View this issue

Nisei economist Sam I. Nakagama led the front page, telling a Stanford energy conference that President Reagan’s economic plan was “the wildest nonsense” and could more than double inflation within two years. Also on page one, Japanese American leaders gave their views on gun control after the assassination attempt on President Reagan, and Reagan named Frank Saburo Sato inspector general of the Environmental Protection Agency. Redress ran through the issue: Joan Z. Bernstein updated the JACL Tri-District Conference in Los Angeles, and Dr. Jim Tsujimura praised John Tateishi’s work as Redress Coordinator.

Inside are columns by Bill Hosokawa, Bill Marutani, Jin Konomi and Peter Imamura, and a report that NHK’s documentary on Nisei Military Intelligence Service soldiers was watched by an estimated 20 million people in Japan. Local news covered Little Tokyo burglaries, the rebuilding of the Gardena Buddhist Temple, and Kima Konatsu, an Issei who became a citizen two weeks before her 80th birthday.

What’s in this issue

National

• Reagan’s Economics Called ‘Wildest Nonsense’ by Nisei Economist, page 1. Wall Street economist Sam I. Nakagama criticized President Reagan’s economic policies at a Stanford energy conference, warning they could double inflation within two years. He contrasted Reagan’s tax-cut and military buildup plans with the 1960s, when tax cuts accompanied reduced military spending, and predicted Congress might block the proposed 30% tax cut.
• JA Leaders Express Views on Gun Control, page 1. Following the assassination attempt on President Reagan, Japanese American leaders including Senators Inouye, Hayakawa, Matsunaga, and Representatives Mineta and Matsui offered varied views on gun control legislation. Most favored restricting cheap handguns and stricter penalties for criminals, while former JACL president Jerry Enomoto reiterated his long-standing support for gun registration.
• Reagan Picks Frank Sato Inspector General to EPA, page 1. President Reagan appointed Nisei Frank Saburo Sato as inspector general of the Environmental Protection Agency as part of a new council to fight government fraud and waste. Sato, previously inspector general at the Department of Transportation under Carter, is the top-ranking Asian American in a government post of this kind.
• Calif. Women’s Commission De-funded, page 2. Irene Hirano, chairperson of California’s Commission on the Status of Women, expressed outrage after a State Senate Finance subcommittee voted to eliminate the commission’s $407,000 budget. She called the move an insult to women and noted the commission was the only state agency focused on women’s special needs.
• Convicted Murderer Mitose Dies of Stroke in Prison, page 2. James Mitose, a self-proclaimed clergyman convicted in 1975 of murdering San Dimas rancher Frank Namimatsu, died of a stroke at San Quentin on March 27, days before a scheduled parole hearing. Community members had been petitioning to block his potential release.
• Chinatown Restaurant Workers Organize, page 2. Restaurant workers at the Silver Palace in New York’s Chinatown signed their first independent union contract after organizing efforts begun in March 1980 following the firing of 16 workers who protested wage violations. A community boycott forced reinstatement of the workers, and the independent union was certified in August 1980.
• Sato Personal Profile, page 4. A profile details Frank Sato’s background, including his accounting career with the Department of Defense and his 1979 appointment as Department of Transportation inspector general under Carter. Sato comments that JACL should focus on opening doors for Japanese Americans in government appointments.
• Viet-Texans Truce Seen, by Herbert Ogawa, page 7. Texas shrimpers met with a special assistant to Governor Clements to address disputes with Indochinese refugee fishermen over overcrowded Gulf waters. A five-point program was agreed upon including reviewing fishing license limits and seeking inland jobs for Vietnamese fishermen amid threats of violence.
• Two Nikkei Win Flu Shot Suits, page 8. Two Nikkei who suffered Guillain-Barre paralysis syndrome after receiving government swine flu shots settled their lawsuits out of court in early March. Kenneth Hazemoto received $2 million and Helen Tamashiro received $85,000 in what is believed to be among the largest such settlements.

Community

• Mother of 12 Naturalized for 80th Birthday, page 1. Kima Konatsu, an Issei who came to California at 16, received her U.S. citizenship on March 10, two weeks before her 80th birthday. The widow and mother of 12 had previously failed the citizenship test due to language barriers until an interpreter was permitted, and she was incarcerated at Poston during WWII.
• Bay Area Nikkei Seniors Mark 10th Year of Centers, page 2. Over 600 Issei gathered at College of San Mateo to celebrate the New Year and ten years of senior center activities in the Bay Area, sponsored by 11 Nikkei senior centers forming an advocacy coalition. Speakers included Rep. Tom Lantos, who addressed the crowd in Japanese, and an appreciation award was given to volunteer coordinator Kay Okamoto.
• Asian-Pacific Week to Be Celebrated, page 2. Asian-Pacific American Heritage Week will be celebrated May 1-3 at the Oakland Museum, sponsored by its Asian Heritage Committee for the third annual event. Funds are being raised to match challenge grants from NEH and NEA.
• Stockton Nisei Grocers Robbed, page 2. A shotgun-wielding robber forced the owners of the A-1 market in Stockton to hand over cash in March. The robber forced the Oshimas to empty the register and also stole Oshima’s wallet.
• International Fashion Set for J-Town, page 2. A major fashion show-luncheon titled ‘Spring Fantasy Fashion’ will take place at the Japan Center Theater in San Francisco on May 2, featuring designs from Japan’s Nippon Designers’ Club. Proceeds will benefit several charitable organizations including the Lions’ Eye Foundation and Kimochi, Inc.
• Around Town, by Peter Imamura, page 3. Columnist Peter Imamura reports on the Los Angeles-Nagoya Sister City Affiliation’s ‘Clothes Encounter of the Third Generation’ fashion show featuring Sansei designers, plus notes on the Great Bronze Age of China exhibit at LACMA. He also comments on young moviegoers’ reactions to the Academy Awards postponement following the Reagan assassination attempt.
• South Bay Keiro to Kick Off Fund Drive, page 3. A kickoff luncheon for the general gifts campaign supporting the 98-bed South Bay Keiro Nursing Home is scheduled for April 12 in Gardena. The home has already received over $115,000 toward its $1 million campaign goal for a $13 million mortgage purchase.
• Noguchi Speaks on Types of Bullets, page 3. L.A. County Coroner Dr. Thomas Noguchi found no compelling medical reason for police to switch from round-nosed to hollow-nosed bullets despite differences in lethality. His two-year study found no proof either bullet type was definitively more lethal than the other.
• More Crime Strikes Little Tokyo Shops, page 3. A leather goods store in Little Tokyo lost an estimated $30,000 in merchandise in a burglary, and days later a supposedly burglar-proof office suite in the new Honda Plaza was also burglarized. Several tenant businesses were victimized in the Honda Plaza incident.
• Gardena Nisei, 72, Outstanding Senior, page 3. May Koga, 72, was named Outstanding Senior Citizen for 1981 and received an award at the El Camino Kiwanis Club luncheon and a plaque from the city council. She and her husband Paul co-own a fruit and produce market.
• Gardena Buddhists to Rebuild Temple, page 3. The Gardena Buddhist Temple, destroyed by arson last July, broke ground April 5 for a rebuilt edifice estimated to cost between $1.3 and $1.5 million. An architect is overseeing the project.
• Little Tokyo Book Store Must Move, page 3. Amerasia Book Store on E. 2nd St. received a 30-day notice to vacate its premises and is seeking a comparable site within Little Tokyo, where it has operated for a decade. Staff requested letters of support be sent to the Community Redevelopment Agency to help the store remain in the community.
• Sacramento JACL Invitational Basketball Tournament Set, page 6. The Sacramento JACL Invitational High School Basketball Tournament will be held April 11-12 at Hiram Johnson High School, featuring top Sansei players coached by Tosh Matsuura. Donations to defray tournament costs can be sent to the Sacramento JACL Basketball fund.
• Nikkei Woman Named to Fisherman’s Union Board, page 8. Kay Yamamoto of Steveston, B.C. was elected to the Board of Trustees for the United Fisherman and Allied Workers’ Union. She reported on treatment of senior women workers at a B.C. Packers plant who faced delays qualifying for filleting work.
• $2 Million Challenge: A Bid to Pay Off JACCC Mortgage, page 8. The $2 Million Challenge fund drive to retire the mortgage of the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center has raised $177,821 in donations and $112,631 in pledges since starting November 1. Donors of $35 or more were entered into a drawing for a trip to Japan, won by a Northern California couple.

Incarceration & Redress

• Bernstein Updates Redress Movement at L.A. Tri-District, page 1. Commission on Wartime Relocation chairperson Joan Z. Bernstein addressed the JACL Tri-District Conference in Los Angeles, updating around 160 attendees on commission hearing plans including sites in Alaska, California, the Midwest and East. The conference also passed resolutions on an Asian-Pacific leadership group, support for atomic bomb survivors, and a U.S.-Mexico worker visa program.
• This Week in JACL History: April 1945 Events, page 4. A historical roundup recounts events from April 1945 including a Washington Post editorial condemning the wartime treatment of Japanese Americans and calling for government restitution. It also notes JACL’s protest over the treatment of wounded Nisei veterans, aid offered for Hawaii tidal wave victims, and the end of a Canadian travel ban on Nisei.
• San Gabriel Valley JACL to Hear Redress Talk, page 6. Jim Matsuoka of the National Coalition for Redress-Reparations will speak on evacuation and redress at a San Gabriel Valley JACL Chapter meeting on April 22 in West Covina. The event is open to the public with contact information provided for more details.

JACL

• Wakabayashi Speaks to San Mateo, page 2. Newly appointed National JACL Executive Director Ron Wakabayashi spoke to 71 attendees at a San Mateo JACL dinner, sharing his reasons for pursuing the position including preserving JACL’s communication network and pursuing Redress. He also emphasized the need to encourage Sansei involvement in the organization.
• Daniel Tateishi Night Honors Redress Leader, by George Kondo, page 6. The Northern California-Western Nevada-Pacific District Council is sponsoring a dinner on May 1 in San Francisco honoring John Tateishi for his leadership of the Redress program and sacrifices made including jeopardizing his teaching career. Tateishi was previously honored as ‘JACLer of the Biennium’ at the 1980 National JACL Convention.
• Nob Iwamoto Heads JACL Credit Union, page 7. Nobuo Iwamoto was elected president of the National JACL Credit Union board at its annual meeting in Salt Lake City on February 28. Other new officers and board members were also announced.

Sports

• Nisei Relays to Repeat June 7, page 3. The 40th annual JACL-PSWDC Nisei Relays will be held June 7 at Santa Ana College, with a larger turnout expected than last year’s 300-plus participants. Entry forms are available through several PSWDC chapter contacts with an application deadline of May 22.

Commentary

• President’s Corner: JACL Owes Much to John Tateishi, by Dr. Jim Tsujimura, page 4. JACL National President Jim Tsujimura praises John Tateishi for accepting the position of Redress Coordinator on an interim basis after the Redress program stalled following his earlier resignation. Tsujimura details Tateishi’s personal sacrifices, including jeopardizing his teaching career and family life, to advance the Redress cause.
• Letterbox: ‘False Prophets’, by Mas Odoi, page 4. A reader responds to a prior Bill Marutani column, defending American churches’ influence on the nation’s character and criticizing the removal of religion from schools. The writer argues that moral decline among teenagers stems from liberal interpretations of the First Amendment rather than from the moral majority.
• Washington Wrap-Up: Trade Tensions and Gun Control Fallout, by Ron Ikejiri, page 4. This column covers the rising U.S.-Japan trade tensions amid auto import disputes, including meetings between the Reagan administration and Japanese officials ahead of Prime Minister Suzuki’s visit. It also discusses JA leaders’ reactions to the Reagan assassination attempt and the Administration’s reconsideration of budget cuts to firearms regulation.
• Hispanic Coalition Offers Food for Thought, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa examines remarks by Mario Obledo suggesting Hispanic Americans’ cultural affinity for Latin America could affect their loyalty during U.S. conflicts there, questioning the implications of this doctrine. He draws a parallel to the WWII incarceration of Japanese Americans, who were suspected of disloyalty due to racial and cultural ties to Japan.
• East Wind: Issei ‘Pidgin’, by Bill Marutani, page 5. Marutani recalls growing up in a rural Japanese American farming community in Washington State, where Issei parents developed a unique pidgin English from limited exposure to the language. He reflects on the communication gaps and humor that arose between Issei parents and their English-speaking Nisei children.
• Moshi-Moshi: Funny Things Are Happening to English, by Jin Konomi, page 5. Konomi humorously catalogs Japanese adaptations and truncations of English words and phrases, such as ‘daiya,’ ‘gyara,’ and ‘banana boy.’ The column compares these linguistic quirks to classic malapropisms found in English literature.

Military & Veterans

• 20 Million in Japan Watch NHK Documentary on MIS, page 7. NHK’s documentary ‘Yankee Samurai, MacArthur’s Ears,’ detailing the contributions of Nisei Military Intelligence Service soldiers during WWII, was watched by an estimated 20 million people in Japan across two broadcasts. The film, produced by Shin Matsuo, included research trips to Tule Lake, Presidio of Monterey, and other sites, and NHK is negotiating with PBS for a possible U.S. broadcast.

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