Redress hearings take shape: Goldberg, Bannai and the CWRIC

Vol. 92, No. 19, May 15, 1981. 8 pages. View this issue

The Pacific Citizen reported on the run-up to the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians. The front page carried Peter Imamura’s report that Justice Arthur J. Goldberg called the Korematsu decision one of the worst Supreme Court rulings, and the news that Paul Bannai, who served in the 442nd, would head the commission staff. Redress and the JACL National Committee for Redress ran through the issue: guidelines for finding witnesses, Min Yasui’s request for hearings in ten cities, a mock hearing in Seattle, and Gordon Hirabayashi’s column on what the commission offered as a second chance.

Other items include the long-awaited Levine and Rhodes study of the Japanese American community, microfilm editions of the camp newspapers, Dr. Jim Tsujimura’s trip to Japan, and Momoko Iko’s new play in New York.

What’s in this issue

National

• Goldberg Says Supreme Court Erred on E.O. 9066, by Peter Imamura, page 1. Justice Arthur J. Goldberg, through a spokesperson at a Japanese American Bar Association dinner, called the Korematsu decision one of the worst Supreme Court rulings, second only to Dred Scott. He questioned what the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians could recommend to redress such a constitutional violation.
• Paul Bannai to Head CWRIC Staff, page 1. Paul Bannai, who served in the 442nd and had a career representing U.S. forces in Japanese surrender ceremonies, has been named to a leadership role related to the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians. His wife Hideko finished her education and later earned a Ph.D. while he entered public life.
• Nisei Teacher’s Firing Upheld, page 1. A judge upheld the firing of a Nisei teacher, Takahashi, from the Livingston School District after 15 incidents over more than two years were cited to show incompetence. Takahashi disputed the allegations, calling the standards for her dismissal ill-defined, and announced plans to appeal with assistance from the California Teachers Association and JACL’s civil rights staff.
• Reischauer Ends an Era at Harvard, page 1. Prof. Edwin O. Reischauer is noted as ending an era at Harvard in a brief item. Further details on his career transition were not elaborated in the available text.
• Nikkei Charged with Threatening Carter, page 3. Farrell Isamu Honda, a 28-year-old Fresno man, pleaded innocent to charges of threatening the lives of President Carter and President-elect Reagan in a mailed letter. He also faces 17 counts of mail fraud and was ordered to stand trial in July, with his attorney claiming the letter was not meant as a threat.
• Teacher’s Dismissal Details and Appeal, page 4. Further details on the Takahashi teacher firing case describe fifteen incidents used by the Livingston School Board to allege incompetence, several of which were disputed or later found unfounded by witnesses. JACL representatives Norman Ishimoto and Lorrie Inagaki examined whether Takahashi’s civil rights were violated, while she vowed to appeal with attorney Ernest Tuttle.
• Three More Nikkei Named National Merit Scholars, page 7. Three additional Nikkei students were named winners of four-year scholarships from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation on April 29. The recipients include Jessica K. Kojiro, Joyce E. Kitano, and Robert Maki.

In-Depth

• Long-Awaited Levine Study on Issei-Nisei-Sansei Printed, page 1. The JACL-JARP volume “The Japanese American Community: A Study” by Gene N. Levine and Colbert Rhodes has finally been published and is available through JACL offices. The 242-page book examines how the Japanese American community retained solidarity despite assimilation pressures, using Issei, Nisei and Sansei survey data and 87 tables of attitudes.

Community

• Carole Fujita’s Battle for Promotion Succeeds, page 1. Dr. F. Carole Fujita was named Pharmacy Supervisor I at Harbor/UCLA Medical Center after an 18-month fight against racial discrimination in promotion decisions. The Support Committee for Carole Fujita called it a community victory and pledged to continue helping another Nisei pharmacist, Dr. Charles Hayase, who has filed a grievance against the county.
• New BCA Bishop Installed, page 2. Bishop Haruo Seigen Yamaoka was installed as head of the Buddhist Churches of America on April 25, becoming the first American-born bishop in the organization’s 82-year history. He succeeded Canadian-born Bishop Kenryu Takashi Tsuji in a ceremony at the BCA headquarters chapel in San Francisco.
• Women’s Network to Hold 2nd Confab, page 2. The California Asian/Pacific Women’s Network will hold its second statewide conference May 29-31 at the Amfac Hotel near San Francisco International Airport. The conference is aimed at those interested in concerns of Asian/Pacific women.
• San Gabriel Valley Center Pays Off Mortgage in 8 Years, page 3. The East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center celebrated burning its $170,000 mortgage after eight years, with Rep. Norman Mineta and center officials participating in the ceremony. Special appreciation was extended to Mrs. Hazel Roberts, Mrs. Kinu Yamashita, and other donors and guarantors who supported the center’s construction.
• Hibakusha Symposium Slated at U. of Wash., page 3. As part of their 1981 itinerary, a Hiroshima medical team will participate in a symposium at the University of Washington discussing the lasting effects of radiation from the atomic bomb. The event is sponsored in part by Seattle JACL.
• Maryknoller Marks Golden Jubilee, page 3. Bro. Bernard Puthoff, M.M., celebrated his 50th anniversary of service, having been assigned to Maryknoll School and maintaining ties with Japanese Americans during the Evacuation years, visiting various internment camps. A pictorial on the Manzanar Pilgrimage has been delayed in release.
• Netsuke Displayed, page 4. A collection of tiny functional sculptures titled “Netsuke: Myth and Nature in Miniature” is on exhibit at the Asian Art Museum in Golden Gate Park through Sept. 8. The exhibit features miniature Japanese decorative art.
• Salt Lake JACLers Prepare Jordan Park’s International Peace Gardens, page 7. Salt Lake JACL members and community volunteers, led by Mitsugi Kasai, cleared and weeded the Japanese Peace Garden at Jordan Park ahead of the May 15 tourist season opening. The garden, dedicated in 1950, is part of a larger International Peace Gardens complex representing multiple nationalities.
• Mt. Olympus JACL Plans Memorial Day Observance, page 7. Mt. Olympus JACL is organizing a Memorial Day observance at Salt Lake City Cemetery near the Nisei Veteran Memorial. Volunteers cleaned the Japanese section of the cemetery on May 16 and 23, restoring fallen or sunken markers and trimming plots, with lunch provided.
• JCP May Shut Down in Utah, page 7. The Japanese Community Program in Salt Lake City, which has provided free weekly ethnic lunches and transportation for elderly Issei and Nisei for five years, faces shutdown as CSA grant funding ends in September 1981. Volunteer Alice Kasai has devoted over two years to sustaining the program, which may require participants to pay $1.50 per meal if funding is not renewed.
• Downtown JACL’s Mother’s Day Fete Set, page 7. Four Issei women—Fujino Morey, Ai Hanafusa, Matame Shimizu, and Misao Kurata—will be honored at the 19th annual Downtown L.A. JACL Mother’s Day luncheon on May 23 at the New Otani Hotel. The event is co-sponsored by the So. Calif. Japanese Women’s Society.
• San Francisco JACL Offers Mace Class, page 7. Instructions on using mace for self-protection will be given at the Masao Satow Building on May 16, with local senior citizens encouraged to participate. There is a $3.70 state fee plus a $10 charge for the mace itself.
• Mock Hearing Set for Seattle, page 8. A mock redress hearing and workshop will be held in Seattle, featuring state Sen. Ruth Fisher and Municipal Court Judge Ron Mamiya hearing testimony from Nikkei witnesses. Chairman Minoru Yasui of the JACL Redress Committee will discuss historical examples, with Dr. Charles Z. Smith of the University of Washington moderating.
• Okrand to Keynote Redress Forum, page 8. The South Bay JACL forum on “U.S. Concentration Camps…Why?” will feature attorney Fred Okrand, chief counsel of the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, at the Holiday Inn in Torrance. Okrand was involved as a young attorney in the historic Oyama and Takahashi cases.
• Yu-Ai Kai to Hold Fashion Show, May 16, page 8. The Yu-Ai Kai organization will sponsor its 2nd annual Sakura luncheon-fashion show on Saturday, May 16 at Lou’s Village in San Jose. Tickets are available through the Yu-Ai Kai office.
• SFV to Host PSW Quarterly, page 8. The Pacific Southwest JACL District Council will hold its spring quarterly session May 31 at the San Fernando Valley Japanese American Community Center, with vice-governor Cary Nishimoto presiding. Candidates for the 1981 Miss Nisei Relays contest will be judged during the lunch break, and various committee reports will be presented.
• SFV Benefit Variety Show for Sr. Housing Set, page 8. A variety show to raise funds for Nikkei Village Senior Housing will be held at the San Fernando Valley Japanese American Community Center on Saturday, May 30. Seventeen member organizations are participating in the fundraiser.
• Kimochi Kai’s 10th Anniversary, page 8. Kimochi Kai will celebrate its 10th anniversary on May 17 with a reception at the Japan Center in San Francisco. The event runs from 2-4 p.m.

Incarceration & Redress

• ‘Japanese Camp Newspapers’ Available in 50 Microfilms, page 1. The Library of Congress Photoduplication Service can provide microfilm editions of Japanese Relocation Camp and Assembly Center newspapers from all 10 camps and two assembly centers. Substantial files include Rohwer Outpost, Poston Chronicle, Gila News, Tulean Dispatch, Granada Pioneer, Minidoka Irrigator, Topaz Times and Heart Mountain Sentinel, with contributions being sought to purchase the collection.
• Redress Committee Sets Guidelines for Witness Search, page 1. The JACL National Committee for Redress disclosed its process for identifying witnesses to testify before the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians, instructing chapters to form witness search committees. JACL is preparing guidelines and sample testimony and sponsoring community training sessions on presenting testimony to the commission.
• Yasui Asks for Hearings at 10 Cities, page 1. Min Yasui, chairperson of the JACL National Committee for Redress, formally requested that commission hearings be held in ten cities originally recommended by JACL including Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles and San Francisco. He also asked that the commission hire interpreters for Issei witnesses and consider all requests to testify.

JACL

• NCWNP-DC Holds Own Fete for Tateishi, page 1. The Northern California-Western Nevada-Pacific District Council held a thank-you party for John Tateishi, who received the JACLer of the Biennium award for his redress committee leadership. Speakers included Rep. Norman Mineta, Dr. Jim Tsujimura, Min Yasui and Ron Wakabayashi, with telegrams read from Senators Inouye and Matsunaga.

Commentary

• Redress Guidelines Adopted by National JACL Board, page 2. The National JACL Board adopted formal redress guidelines on Feb. 6, 1981, outlining the purpose, basis for claims, eligibility, and redress mechanisms related to Executive Order 9066. The guidelines call on Congress to appropriate monetary sums for property damages and personal losses, administered through non-profit foundations.
• President’s Corner: Japan Trip, by Dr. Jim Tsujimura, page 4. JACL National President Jim Tsujimura recounts his departure for Tokyo on JAL Flight 001 to represent the organization, reflecting on his nerves and sense of responsibility. He describes a chance encounter communicating in limited Japanese that gave him new empathy for Issei and other non-English speakers.
• Ye Editor’s Desk: Our Assistant Pete, by Harry Honda, page 4. Editor Harry Honda introduces editorial assistant Pete Imamura, a 1978 UCLA graduate who joined the Pacific Citizen staff in February. The column describes Pete’s background and his role helping find the roots of stories for the paper.
• 35 Years Ago in The Pacific Citizen, page 4. A historical roundup of news items from May 1946, including the Nisei Veterans Association opposing separate American Legion posts, Army assignment of Nisei MIS veterans to war crimes work in Yokohama, and the end of War Relocation Authority resettlement operations. Also noted is a Pulitzer-winning editorial reprint on the “Go For Broke” motto.
• Letterbox: Mark Weber Article, by James Oda, page 4. A reader clarifies that while an article on the Evacuation by Mark Weber was factually sound, it appeared in a pro-Nazi publication disguised as an academic journal. The writer urges readers not to support groups that are anti-Jewish, anti-Black or anti-Mexican while using Japanese Americans as a token minority.
• Priorities: Soul of JACL, by Henry T. Tanaka, page 4. The columnist reflects on what keeps JACL functioning despite ongoing fiscal and leadership challenges, attributing it to values inherited from Issei heritage such as giri, gaman, enryo and Yamato-damashi. He questions how these values will shape JACL’s future identity across generations.
• Washington Wrap-Up: Bannai’s Role, by Ron Ikejiri, page 4. With Paul Bannai’s appointment as executive director of the CWRIC staff, the fact-finding work of the commission is expected to begin in earnest. The column notes that JACL Redress chair Min Yasui and coordinator John Tateishi have spent months developing chapter participation ahead of commission hearings.
• Nisei in Japan: Visits Japan, by Barry Saiki, page 5. Dr. James Tsujimura’s two-week JACL project trip to Japan included courtesy calls on the Japan Foundation, Ambassador Mike Mansfield, and Prime Minister Zenko Suzuki, along with extensive media interviews reaching tens of millions of viewers. He also toured Sony and Toyota plants, cultural sites, and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, capping the trip with a dinner in his honor before departure.
• A Scholarly Look at Japanized English, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. The columnist discusses two scholarly books on Japanese loanwords from English, including Herbert Passin’s study and Akira Miura’s “English Loan Words in Japanese.” Examples include words like kosuto (cost), kuikku (quick), jiruba (jitterbug), kanningu (cunning), and basuto (bust), showing how meanings shifted in adaptation.
• East Wind: Expletives with an Accent, by Bill Marutani, page 5. The columnist recounts a holiday morning visit to a small diner where an Oriental man-manager scolded boisterous teenagers using English profanity with a distinct accent. He reflects on how Issei parents rarely used English curse words at home, though Nisei picked them up in the Army and schoolyard, yet returned to keeping a profanity-free household once married.
• National Commission: A 2nd Chance, by Gordon Hirabayashi, page 5. Hirabayashi, chair of the Seattle JACL Redress Committee, explores why Japanese American leaders in 1942 cooperated with the unconstitutional Exclusion Order despite daily experiences of racism. He argues the community now has a second chance with the National Commission in 1981 to respond differently to injustice.
• Chiaroscuro: From Behind the Gavel, by Thomas T. Hara, page 6. Twin Cities JACL chapter president Thomas Hara reflects on membership challenges as the chapter enters its 35th year, questioning whether the organization has relevant issues or sufficient local focus to sustain itself. He announces a new long-range planning committee chaired by Tom Moriguchi to assess the chapter’s future viability.
• From Pacific Southwest: Chickened Out, by John Saito, page 6. The columnist humorously complains about attending multiple fundraising dinners in one week that all served chicken as the main course, including events at the Beverly Hilton and the Japanese American Bar Association dinner. He jokes about being unable to get a substitute dish and considering escaping to a local Chinese cafe instead.

Arts & Entertainment

• And On TV: Los Angeles, by Peter Imamura, page 3. A local TV station aired a series of Chinese kung fu films depicting Japanese as villains, timed to coincide with Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week, drawing criticism for poor judgment. The same station later aired the more favorable 1961 film “Flower Drum Song,” and the columnist also recounts meeting KNBC anchor Tritia Toyota.
• Hibakusha Radio Show Cited, page 3. The radio documentary “Invisible Victims: Japanese American Survivors of the Atomic Bomb” won first place at the 1980 Public Radio Program Awards. Produced by Barbara Noguchi and Stan Kadani for Western Public Radio, the half-hour program examines the lives of Japanese Americans who survived the Hiroshima bombing.
• NYT Critic Praises Momoko Iko’s Play, page 7. Momoko Iko’s new play “Flowers and Household Gods,” produced by Tisa Chang’s Pan Asian Repertory Theater at La Mama in New York, drew praise from New York Times critic Mel Gussow. The play follows a Japanese American family over three generations, set in 1968 at a family funeral 25 years after the Evacuation.

Military & Veterans

• Air G-2 Reunion Set, page 8. The 6004th Air Intel Serv Sqdn., 6002nd AISG and the 6499th Support Sqdn. are holding their 30th Anniversary reunion September 5-7 at the New Otani Hotel in Los Angeles. Interested veterans can contact Jane Matsuda for more information.

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