CWRIC hears 110 witnesses in San Francisco on camp experiences

Vol. 93, No. 9, August 28, 1981. 8 pages. View this issue

The Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians held its second session in San Francisco, and the front page carried Peter Imamura’s report on more than 110 witnesses who testified over two days in a 600-seat auditorium. They described deaths, inadequate medical care and FBI sweeps, and called for redress. Commissioners Fr. Robert Drinan and William Marutani also took up the question of federal retirement credit for camp victims. Page 8 adds testimony from supporters and opponents, and page 1 notes that the Seattle hearings were moved to a new site.

The Gardena Valley JACL announced its plans for the 1982 national convention, themed Kokoro, ahead of Nisei Week in Little Tokyo. Floyd Shimomura reported from the first Pan American Nisei Convention in Mexico City. The columns include Bill Hosokawa, Bill Marutani and Ron Wakabayashi, and the arts page reviews the film Gaijin.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• CWRIC Hears Over 110 Witnesses Tell Own Camp Ordeal in San Francisco, by Peter Imamura, page 1. The second session of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians heard emotional testimony from over 110 witnesses over two days in San Francisco, filling the 600-seat Golden Gate University auditorium. Witnesses described deaths, inadequate medical care, FBI sweeps, and demanded monetary reparations and other redress measures.
• Seattle Hearing Site Changed, page 1. The CWRIC hearings scheduled for Sept. 9-11 in Seattle have been moved from the Seattle Hall Federal Building to the Seattle Central Community College Auditorium on Broadway. The change was announced ahead of the upcoming hearing dates.
• Individual Testimonies: Mabel T. Ota and Dr. Mary S. Oda Recall Evacuation Experiences, page 2. Mabel T. Ota recounted her life before and during evacuation, including her family’s forced liquidation of their Holtville grocery store and her volunteer move to Poston. Dr. Mary Sakaguchi Oda described her family’s substantial farm losses in the San Fernando Valley and her effort, ultimately denied, to remain in medical school at UC during evacuation.
• A Heart as Strong as Mt. Fuji: An Issei’s Experience Continued, page 3. This continuing narrative follows a picture bride’s account of camp life, including her husband’s work setting up facilities and the harrowing birth of their child at Poston with inadequate medical equipment and only one doctor for the entire camp. The baby was born weak after 28 hours of labor and a difficult delivery using improvised forceps.
• Dr. Mary Oda’s Account of Manzanar Continues, page 6. This continuation of Dr. Mary Sakaguchi Oda’s testimony describes her family’s dispersal during evacuation, including brothers sent to different camps, schools, and the FBI detention of her dental student brother. She vividly describes the harsh living conditions inside Manzanar, including lack of privacy, dust storms, and makeshift furniture.
• CWRIC San Francisco Hearings: Supporters and Opponents of Redress Testify, page 8. Additional testimony at the San Francisco CWRIC hearings included opponents like Ben Oliver Anjo, who argued internment was justified, and supporters like attorney James Purcell of the Ex parte Endo case, who argued for compensation for false imprisonment. Other witnesses, including Tsuyako Kitashima and Carolyn Aiko Sugiyama, delivered emotional testimony urging monetary redress and criticizing Senator Hayakawa’s remarks.

National

• CWRIC Keen on Expanding Evacuee Federal Retirement Credit, page 1. During hearings in San Francisco, Commissioners Fr. Robert Drinan and William Marutani expressed interest in extending federal retirement credit coverage to camp victims not currently covered under the 1978 Internment Credit Act. Marutani asked that names of affected internees be submitted within 30 days to an ad hoc committee working with National JACL.
• Economist Sam Nakagama Always Has Something to Say About Taxes, page 1. Nisei economist Sam Nakagama, who served in the MIS during WWII and studied under Nobel Prize-winning economists at the University of Chicago, discussed his early predictions on Reagan’s economic policies and inflation. He traced his economic philosophy back to writings from the 1960s and commented on global shifts in economic power from the West to Asia.
• Washington Wrap-Up: 1981 Tax Law Changes, by Ron Ikejiri, page 6. Ron Ikejiri outlines major provisions of the newly passed 1981 Tax Law, including reduced individual income tax rates, new charitable deduction rules, expanded homeowner exclusions, and new tax-free savings options. He also discusses new IRA rules and increased gift tax exclusions, advising readers to consult tax professionals for detailed planning.

JACL

• Gardena Valley JACL to Host 1982 National Convention, Theme ‘Kokoro’, page 1. The Gardena Valley JACL announced that Kokoro (Japanese for Heart and Soul) will be the theme for the National JACL Convention set for Aug. 8-14, 1982 at the Hyatt Airport hotel, leading into Nisei Week activities in Little Tokyo. The convention board, chaired by Tomita, listed committee assignments and contact information.
• Midwest District Council Elects John Tani Governor, page 3. At the joint EDC-MDC convention in St. Louis, Chicago JACL president John Tani was elected governor of the Midwest District Council for the coming biennium. The announcement was brief, noting the convention location and new leadership.
• Mexico Convention: Pan American Nisei Gather in Historic Meeting, by Floyd Shimomura, page 4. Floyd Shimomura recounts attending the first Pan American Nisei Convention in Mexico City with over 100 other JACLers, joined by Nisei delegates from Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Peru, and the U.S. The convention celebrated shared Japanese heritage and discrimination history, and resolved to hold a second convention in 1983 and form a Pan American Nisei Association.

Commentary

• Newsmedia Editorials Speak Out on Reparations (Part I), by Peter Imamura, page 2. This roundup compiles editorial reactions from newspapers across the West Coast and the nation regarding redress for Japanese Americans, including the Seattle Times, Honolulu Advertiser, Palo Alto Times Tribune, San Jose News, and others. Opinions ranged from support for monetary reparations to skepticism about quantifying suffering, with several papers criticizing Senator Hayakawa’s remarks at the hearings.
• The Asian Family (Fourth in Series on Troubled Asian Community), page 3. Reprinted from the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, this editorial examines the decline of the traditional close-knit Asian family structure in America and its implications for community success. It argues that economic and generational pressures are eroding the family cohesion that once drove collective upward mobility.
• Letterbox: U.S.-Japan Business Relations, by Dan O’Keefe, page 4. California State Senator Dan O’Keefe writes in response to an earlier editorial, praising Japan’s economic investment and job creation in the U.S. and arguing that America has much to learn from Japanese management and industrial policy. He highlights lower unemployment and higher productivity in Japan as lessons for American industry.
• Letterbox: Early WW2 Hysteria, by Vaughn M. Greene, page 4. A reader from San Bruno, Ca., references the book ‘Double Edged Secrets’ to explain the wartime hysteria and false intelligence reports following Pearl Harbor that fueled unfounded fears of sabotage. He argues this context helps explain, though not excuse, the paranoia that contributed to the internment.
• Letterbox: ‘Good Night, Scotty’ – Tribute to T. Scott Miyakawa, by Eji Suyama, page 4. A letter from Ellsworth, Maine, mourns the passing of T. Scott Miyakawa, praising his scholarship and humanism on behalf of New England Nisei. The writer expresses the community’s love and grief at his loss.
• From Happy Valley: Camp Newspapers Coming ‘Home’, by Sachi Seko, page 4. Sachi Seko reflects on rare, lifelong friendships formed during incarceration, particularly among her former colleagues at the Gila News Courier camp newspaper. She highlights an effort by the San Diego JACL to raise funds for microfilm editions of camp newspapers to be preserved in the Pacific Citizen’s files.
• From the Frying Pan: Sparky ‘Stranded’ at the White House, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa recounts an incident where Secretary of State Alexander Haig failed to recognize Senator Spark Matsunaga at a White House dinner, mistaking him for a member of the Japanese delegation. Hosokawa uses the anecdote to discuss the continuing challenge of Asian Americans being seen as individuals rather than stereotypes.
• East Wind: Home-Style Remedies, by Bill Marutani, page 5. Bill Marutani humorously recounts various Issei home remedies used by his mother for illness, including chicken soup-like okai, matchstick concoctions for sick pets, and yaito treatments. He also recalls simple but effective cures for hiccups and nosebleeds passed down through generations.
• Musubi: The Nisei as Hero(ine), by Ron Wakabayashi, page 5. Ron Wakabayashi reflects on changing Sansei perceptions of the Nisei generation, noting that early criticism of Nisei passivity has given way to recognition of their heroism, citing the 100th/442nd and their sacrifices during incarceration. He urges the Nisei to embrace this moment of recognition and continue their legacy.

Community

• PSWDC Redress to Hold Post-Hearing Session, page 2. The JACL Pacific Southwest District Council redress committee will hold a post-hearing session for former CWRIC witnesses on Aug. 28 at Little Tokyo Towers. Mental health professionals, including clinical social worker Amy Iwasaki Mass, are scheduled to speak about the emotional impact of testifying.
• Steve Okayama Named to LTCDAC Chairmanship, page 3. Steve Okayama has been named the 1981-82 chairman of the Mayor’s Little Tokyo Community Development Advisory Committee in Los Angeles. The brief announcement noted his new leadership role.
• Nagoya’s Meiji Mura Museum Looking for U.S. Issei Building, page 6. Dr. Jim Tsujimura reports that the Museum Meiji-Mura near Nagoya is seeking a historic building with Issei-Nisei associations to add to its collection of over 50 structures depicting the Meiji era. The museum would dismantle, ship, and reconstruct the building in Japan at its own expense if a suitable candidate is found.
• Utah Legal Secretary Wins National Honors, page 7. Kaye Aoki, a legal secretary at the Salt Lake City law firm of Giauque & Williams, was named first runner-up in the National Legal Secretary of the Year contest at a convention in San Francisco. Aoki has worked as a legal secretary for over 18 years and represents Utah professionally.
• Education and Library Briefs, page 7. Susan Tomoko Marita, a past Washington D.C. JACL scholarship winner, was elected to Stanford’s Phi Beta Kappa chapter and is interning for Rep. Norman Mineta. Carole F. Ishimoto of Harvard College Library was named to a national task force on bibliographic systems.
• San Mateo Victorian Fete Adding Japanese Flavors, page 8. Victorian Day at Central Park in San Mateo will include Japanese cultural elements this year, with the San Mateo JACL and other Nikkei groups contributing food booths and performances. San Jose Taiko and students of Mme. Kyoko Hanayagi will perform alongside other festival attractions.

Arts & Entertainment

• Film Review: Gaijin Depicts Japanese Immigrant Experience in Brazil, page 8. The film Gaijin, directed by Tizuka Yamasaki, is praised for its depiction of Japanese immigrants adapting to life in Brazil, blending tropical and lyrical Japanese perspectives. Critics highlighted its emotional depth and cultural nuance in portraying the immigrant experience.

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