Redress hearings, Hawaii’s courts and the JACL president’s Japan trip

Vol. 92, No. 13, April 3, 1981. 12 pages. View this issue

Outrage over Hawaii’s justice system led the front page: nearly 2,000 demonstrators gathered outside Honolulu’s Judiciary Building after the acquittal of four teenagers accused of gang-raping a Finnish tourist and the insanity verdict for Randall Saito. The front page also carried the plans of JACL President Dr. James Tsujimura to visit Japan, and two stories on redress, one an interview with Joan Z. Bernstein and Rep. Dan Lungren of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians, the other a Portland symposium where speakers urged Nikkei to testify before the Commission. Tsujimura wrote on the Portland forum in his President’s Corner.

Inside are Pete Imamura on films and stereotypes, M. M. Sumida on the 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team and its rescue of the Lost Battalion, and a report on the Go For Broke exhibit at the Presidio Army Museum. Other pages include a 100-foot sushi roll made in Little Tokyo, plans for a national Japanese American museum, and columns by Bill Marutani, Raymond S. Uno, Sachi Seko and Harry Honda.

What’s in this issue

National

• Hawaii’s Justice System Under Fire, by PC Focus, page 1. Outrage in Hawaii grew after courts acquitted four teenagers accused of gang-raping a Finnish tourist and found Randall Saito innocent by reason of insanity in the stabbing death of Sandra Yamashiro. Nearly 2,000 demonstrators protested outside Honolulu’s Judiciary Building amid rising concern over crime against tourists and residents alike.
• Brown Firing of Enomoto Upheld, page 1. The 3rd District Court of Appeals in Sacramento unanimously upheld Governor Brown’s right to fire his appointee Jerry Enomoto as director of the Dept. of Corrections. The court ruled that no hearing was required before removal since no formal charges had been brought against Enomoto.
• Tour Company Appeals PUC Order, page 12. Pacifico Creative Service asked the California Supreme Court to review a Public Utilities Commission order requiring it to secure a bus operator certificate for sightseeing tours for Japanese visitors. The company argued it functions as a tour promoter and travel agent rather than a passenger stage corporation subject to PUC regulation.

JACL

• JACL President Tsujimura to Visit Japan, page 1. National JACL President Dr. James Tsujimura will travel to Japan to meet with officials including Prime Minister Zenko Suzuki, visit Sony and Toyota plants, and tour the Hiroshima Peace Memorial. He will also attend a dinner hosted by the Tokyo JACL and report back to National JACL upon his return.

Incarceration & Redress

• Redress Commission Leaders Interviewed, by Pete Imamura, page 1. The chair and vice chair of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians, Joan Z. Bernstein and Rep. Dan Lungren, discussed their backgrounds and motivations for serving on the commission. Both plan to attend the JACL Tri-District Conference in Los Angeles to learn more about redress issues.
• Portlanders Challenged at Symposium Expounding Redress All Day, page 1. More than 150 Portlanders attended a daylong redress symposium at Lewis and Clark College featuring speakers including Rep. Norman Mineta, Gordon Hirabayashi, and Dr. Arthur Flemming. Speakers urged Nikkei to testify before the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians about the injustices of the evacuation.
• Thousand Club History and Legacy, page 5. The article traces the history of the JACL Thousand Club, founded in 1947 by Hito Okada and George Inagaki to raise funds for National Headquarters. It discusses the financial sacrifices of early members and the National Executive Committee’s recent efforts to honor 20-year life members who had been inadvertently dropped from recognition.

Community

• Wendy Yoshimura Awarded Cal. Arts Grant, page 2. Wendy Yoshimura received an $8,000 state grant to teach watercolor and painting classes at a San Francisco arts center. Arts Council director Bill Cook said the award had nothing to do with her past arrest alongside Patricia Hearst.
• 1,500 to March in Cherry Blossom Parade, Including 200 from Japan, page 2. A large parade contingent including 200 participants from Japan will march in the Cherry Blossom Festival parade here April 26. The event draws significant community participation.
• 71st Nisei Public School Teacher Ends 40-yr. Career, page 2. Inez Nagai retired after 40 years as the first Japanese American hired by a California public school, finishing as athletic director at Menlo-Atherton High School. She overcame wartime internment setbacks, including lost retirement credit later corrected through state legislation.
• Berryessa Hires Nisei School Supt., page 2. The Berryessa Union school district in San Jose appointed K. Jessie Kobayashi as superintendent, one of 28 female superintendents in California. Her appointment becomes effective June 1.
• S.F. Asian Theater Executive Resigns, page 2. Eric Hayashi, executive director of the Asian American Theater Workshop, announced his resignation effective September 1981 to pursue independent film and theater projects. He had been a founding member and managing director since 1977.
• JA Museum Plans Unfold, page 3. Design and space recommendations for the National Japanese American Museum project were presented by Bruce T. Kaji and an El Segundo design firm at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center. The museum aims to be a center for public resource and information sharing rather than merely an artifact repository, with a projected 1982 start date.
• L.A. Chefs Create 100-ft. Long Sushi, page 3. Eleven sushi chefs and one sushi master created a 100-foot, 2-inch sushi roll during the Cherry Blossom Festival in Little Tokyo’s Weller Court, aiming for a Guinness World Record. The roll used 250 pounds of rice and was completed in just over 22 minutes before being cut and distributed to spectators.
• JACCC, Tenants Stipulate Terms, page 3. The JACCC board of directors and the JACCC Tenants’ Coalition met to negotiate lease terms required by the Community Redevelopment Agency. Tenants include the JACL Pacific Southwest District Chapter and several cultural instructors, with some lease aspects still to be finalized.
• CCDC Gov. Ishii Speaks at FSU Rally, page 3. Attorney Tony Ishii urged students at CSU-Fresno’s Amerasia Week activities not to let the progress of the past decade slip away. He noted that Asian Americans lost elected seats in November and that President Reagan’s stance toward ethnic groups remains uncertain.
• AADAP Offers JA Family Class, page 3. The Asian American Drug Abuse Program, in conjunction with the City of Gardena, will offer five workshops on the Japanese American family at Gardena Buddhist Church. The series aims to explore family history and identify community concerns, facilitated by licensed social workers.
• Rose Queen Kawai to Visit Japan, page 3. Leslie Kim Kawai, the first Tournament of Roses queen of Japanese ancestry, will travel to Tokyo to visit the birthplace of her grandfather Toichiro Kawai, an Issei pioneer who emigrated to California in 1898. Her grandfather helped build notable structures for Henry Huntington in San Marino.
• Koreisha Honors Supporters, page 9. The Koreisha Chushoku Kai nutrition program for the elderly in Los Angeles honored community members for their service at its fifth anniversary luncheon at the New Otani Hotel. Honorees included Kazumi Asada, Tom Hamada, and several longtime volunteers recognized for their dedication to the program.

Commentary

• Art Imitates Life, by Pete Imamura, page 3. The columnist discusses how films influence societal perceptions, criticizing movies that promote violence against women and racial stereotypes like the new Charlie Chan film. He laments that significant films like Hito Hata struggle for funding and attention compared to exploitative box office hits.
• President’s Corner: A Worthy Cause, by Dr. Jim Tsujimura, page 4. JACL National President Tsujimura reflects on the Redress Forum held in Portland, describing the powerful testimonies of Rep. Norman Mineta, Dr. Arthur Flemming, Gordon Hirabayashi, and Minoru Yasui. He urges Nikkei to break their self-imposed silence and testify before the Commission to secure redress and protect constitutional rights for all Americans.
• Ye Editor’s Desk: 2nd Class Rates, by Harry Honda, page 4. The PC staff hand-counted over 25,000 address cards to maintain postal pre-sort discounts after rate changes, saving significant mailing costs. The paper is also computerizing JACL-PC data with help from Tyler Tanaka of Japan & Orient Tours.
• From Happy Valley: Home Can Be Many Places, by Sachi Seko, page 4. The columnist reflects on her lifelong friendship with Jeanne, a fellow evacuee from California concentration camps who regularly returns to Salt Lake City to visit her aging parents. After her mother’s sudden death, Jeanne reflects on this being one of her last homecomings, though she vows to return someday to visit her parents’ graves.
• By the Board: JACL President’s Japan Trip, by Floyd Shimomura, page 5. Dr. James Tsujimura’s three-week trip to Japan aims to introduce JACL to top Japanese civic, political, cultural and business leaders via a printed prospectus. The trip, funded by the Japan Foundation, will include meetings in Tokyo and visits to Sony and Toyota plants, establishing a basis for continuing contacts between JACL and Japan.
• East Wind: Use of Double-Standards, by Bill Marutani, page 5. The columnist criticizes Nisei for applying harsher standards to Nikkei public officials than to non-Nikkei officials, suggesting this hypercriticism may discourage aspiring Nikkei from seeking public positions. He argues for applying consistent ethical standards across the board rather than only scrutinizing fellow Nikkei.
• U-No Bar: Japanese American Mentality, by Raymond S. Uno, page 5. The columnist explores why Japanese Americans seem prone to internal conflict, citing theories about Meiji-era immigrant individualism and island mentality (‘shima kuni konjo’). He contrasts this with a Greek colleague’s view that Japanese communities are more cohesive than his own, and reflects on generational disparities within JACL leadership.
• In Search of 25 Nisei-Sansei Overseas for a JACL Chapter, by Chuck Kubokawa, page 10. The author recounts traveling with California Secretary of State March Fong Eu to promote agricultural products across East Asian cities, meeting Nikkei expatriates in Manila, Taipei, Seoul, Hong Kong and Tokyo along the way. He muses about whether enough Nikkei exist in various cities to form new JACL chapters, while also promoting the upcoming Pan American Nikkei Conference in Mexico City.

In-Depth

• Signs of Animism Among the Contemporary Japanese, by Hiroshi Wagatsuma, page 6. Professor Wagatsuma explores how animistic beliefs persist in modern Japan through practices like Hari-kuyo (a requiem for broken needles) and the treatment of memorial tablets, photographs, and keepsakes as containing the spirits of the deceased. He recounts personal anecdotes, including his uncle bringing his deceased wife’s memorial tablet to a funeral, to illustrate these enduring animistic tendencies.
• Amerasians: Who Are They?, by John A. Slade, Jr., page 7. The article tells the story of Shinya Tok, a Japanese-American ‘Amerasian’ seeking U.S. citizenship through his absent American serviceman father, highlighting the plight of nearly 85,000 Amerasian children across Asia. It discusses the Pearl S. Buck Foundation’s efforts to support these mixed-race children who often face social marginalization in both Asian and American societies.
• The Tokugawa Bakufu, by Robert Kono, page 12. This history column examines the Tokugawa era’s policies of seclusion and control, including the sankin kotai system requiring daimyo to maintain residences in Edo. It also traces the rise of the merchant class and houses like Mitsui and Sumitomo, alongside shifts in Confucian and nativist scholarship during the period.

Military & Veterans

• Nisei Chushingura: 442nd Regimental Combat Team, by M. M. Sumida, page 8. The article details the history of the 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team, including the harrowing rescue of the ‘Lost Battalion’ in October 1944 that cost the unit over 2,300 casualties in three weeks. It recounts the unit’s decorations, including a Congressional Medal of Honor, and President Truman’s commendation upon their return home in 1946.
• 6th Army General Extols Nisei GIs, page 8. Brig. Gen. Robert S. Young delivered remarks at the dedication of the ‘Go For Broke’ exhibit at the Presidio Army Museum, honoring the sacrifices of Nisei soldiers during World War II. He acknowledged past prejudice while praising the nation’s capacity to admit faults and make amends.

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