Immigration policy, redress hearings and Little Tokyo news

Vol. 93, No. 11, September 11, 1981. 8 pages. View this issue

The Pacific Citizen’s front page carried the JACL Pacific Southwest District Council’s resolution opposing the Reagan Administration’s immigration reform program, in support of MALDEF. The same page reported on the redress hearings: CWRIC staff director Bannai was set to resign on Sept. 20, and the Chicago hearing site changed. Elsewhere on the page, former Rohwer internees proposed a permanent memorial for the camp site. Bill Hosokawa, Barry Saiki, Bill Marutani and Harry Honda wrote on the opinion pages, and Frank Sakamoto reported on the EDC-MDC convention.

Also in this issue: Little Tokyo news, including a traveling exhibit of prewar photographs and a report on a string of robberies. Readers will also find East West Players’ new season, a documentary on actor Yukio Shimoda, and the Matsuyama and Sacramento sister city ceremony.

What’s in this issue

National

  • PSWDC Opposes Reagan’s Proposed Immigration Policy, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL Pacific Southwest District Council passed a resolution opposing the Reagan Administration’s immigration reform program at its third quarterly meeting, supporting the stand of MALDEF. The proposed policy includes employer sanctions, temporary residency status for undocumented aliens, legalization of Cuban and Haitian refugees, a Mexican guest worker program, and increased immigration allotments for Mexico and Canada, all of which both groups feared would heavily impact Asian/Pacific and Hispanic immigrants.
  • CWRIC Staff Director Bannai to Resign His Post Sept. 20, by P.C. Staff, page 1. CWRIC staff director Bannai is set to resign his position on September 20, according to sources close to the commission, though he and chairperson Joan Z. Bernstein could not be reached for comment. It was also discovered that associate staff director Dr. Tom Taketa resigned from his post on August 31 after being named director of the Veterans Administration’s Dept. of Memorial Affairs.
  • CWRIC Site in Chicago Changed, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The site of the CWRIC hearings in Chicago on Sept. 22-23 has been changed to Northeastern Illinois University’s Commuters Center, according to JACL regional director Bill Yoshino. A related campus symposium on the wartime evacuation and redress issue will be held Sept. 19 and 21, codirected by professor Dan Kuzuhara.
  • California Labeled the ‘Melting Pot of the 80s’ by N.Y. Times, page 1. A New York Times report, citing a Rand Corporation population researcher, described California as the new melting pot due to major demographic shifts shown in U.S. Census data. The white population share declined 76 percent since 1970 while Asian and other ethnic populations increased significantly.
  • Klan, Viets Have an Uneasy Peace in Texas, page 2. Vietnamese refugees in the Galveston Bay area reported an uneasy peace with the Ku Klux Klan and American-born fishermen despite tensions over shrimping territory. A refugee leader said they remain willing to sell their boats and leave but cannot find a buyer, and the Vietnamese shrimp boat fleet has already been reduced by six.
  • Inouye, Spark Concerned Over GOP Tide Rolling Into Hawaii, page 2. Senators Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga expressed concern over a potential rise of Republican influence in Hawaii, noting weaknesses in the state’s longtime Democratic coalition including a lack of party loyalty and complacency after decades in power. Matsunaga noted that Reagan adviser Lyn Nofziger’s visit to Hawaii may have been aimed at recruiting GOP candidates, including a possible opponent for his own Senate seat.

Incarceration & Redress

  • Permanent Rohwer Memorial Proposed, page 1. Former Rohwer internees and two retired ministers who served on the camp’s staff proposed a new, permanent memorial marker for the former Rohwer Relocation Center site, as the original cement obelisk honoring 32 Nisei soldiers who died in WWII is deteriorating. The group is soliciting contributions through the Rohwer Center Memorial Fund to fund the new monument.
  • Calif. Bar Assn. Presents Redress Brief, page 2. The State Bar of California’s legal services section prepared a 36-page brief titled ‘Japanese American Redress and Reparation: A Case for Congressional Action’ for presentation to the CWRIC. The brief is available for $2 by writing to the State Bar of California.
  • Redress Publicity in Japan, by Barry Saiki, page 5. Columnist Barry Saiki reports from Tokyo on extensive Japanese media coverage of the CWRIC hearings, including newspaper, TV, and radio reports that have made millions of Japanese aware of Nikkei wartime hardships. He describes a panel discussion for Asahi Journal magazine featuring himself and other experts discussing Japanese immigration, discrimination, and redress.

Arts & Entertainment

  • ‘Pacific Overtures’ May Be Totally Reworked for England, page 1. Director Harold Prince revealed plans to totally rework the Sondheim-Prince musical ‘Pacific Overtures’ for an English production, possibly using Caucasian actors without makeup, a departure from the original Broadway production which used Asian actors. Prince argued that using Asian actors paradoxically distanced audiences from the story’s universal themes about the opening of Japan to the West.
  • Little Tokyo Growing Major Japan TV Role, page 3. Little Tokyo’s visual arts scene is highlighted by the first annual LA Visual Arts show opening Sept. 13 at the JACCC. Separately, French Canadian model Maria-Aurora Desjardins landed a major role in Japanese NHK-TV’s ‘Mariko,’ playing Gwen Terasaki, an American woman married to a Japanese diplomat before WWII.
  • Visual Communications Film on Yukio Shimoda Launched, page 3. Visual Communications launched a documentary on the life and work of actor Yukio Shimoda shortly before his death on May 24, with writer John Esaki and anthropologist Dr. Akemi Kikumura collaborating on the project. The documentary will feature film clips, interviews with friends and colleagues, and excerpts from a lengthy interview conducted shortly before Shimoda’s passing, chronicling his extensive career in film, television, and Broadway.
  • East-West Players Announce New Season, page 5. East West Players’ upcoming season includes several plays addressing the Japanese American internment experience, including ‘Station J,’ ’12-1-A,’ and ‘The Pilgrimage.’ Artistic director Mako explained the season aims to convey that incarceration could happen again, referencing Senator Hayakawa’s past call to intern Iranians, while noting the plays will include humor reflecting the real laughter that existed in the camps.

Military & Veterans

  • 100th/442nd/MIS Exhibit Foundation Formed, page 1. Representatives from the 100th, 442nd, and Military Intelligence Service clubs held a three-day conference to establish a permanent foundation, named the 100th/442nd/MIS Museum Foundation, for an exhibit at the Presidio Army Museum. K. Thomas Kawaguchi was named executive director, with plans for duplicate exhibits in Los Angeles and Honolulu as well as touring mobile exhibits.

Community

  • Contra Costa JACL Looking for Office Site, page 1. Tom Anma has agreed to chair a new Contra Costa JACL ad hoc committee tasked with studying the feasibility of establishing a permanent meeting place and headquarters for the chapter. The announcement was made in the chapter’s August newsletter, Rappa.
  • Prewar Little Tokyo Pictures on Exhibit, page 3. CSU-Los Angeles and its J.F. Kennedy Memorial Library inaugurated a traveling exhibit of prewar Little Tokyo photographs titled ‘Before the War: The Japanese in Los Angeles 1890-1942.’ The exhibit will be on display in the library until Dec. 31.
  • An Inside Look at Selanoco Membership Noted in Survey, page 6. Selanoco JACL membership chair Evelyn Hanki compiled membership data showing most of the chapter’s 329 members reside in Cerritos, Whittier, Fullerton, Bellflower, and Cypress. The survey also revealed a wide diversity of occupations among members, including numerous doctors, dentists, engineers, and business professionals.
  • JASC’s Fuji Festival to Honor Tom Teraji, page 6. The Japanese American Community Service in Chicago will honor Tom Teraji at its 11th annual Fuji Festival benefit dinner for his many years of service to the community since his arrival in the 1940s. The event will feature entertainment from TV actress/vocalist Susan Rhee and kotoist Brian Yamakoshi.
  • Eugene Oda Memorial Award Winner, page 6. Riverside JACL presented its first Eugene Oda Memorial Scholarship to Meganne Kanatani, a Redlands High School graduate now attending UCLA. The award was presented by donors Dr. Mary and Jim Oda, with Kanatani being the daughter of George and Lillian Kanatani.
  • Nisei Arrested for Little Tokyo Crimes, page 7. A 48-year-old Nisei transient, Raymond Nobuyoshi Hirata, was arrested in Little Tokyo and charged with 10 counts of armed robbery linked to a week-long crime spree victimizing Nikkei residents and businesses. Hirata, recently paroled and described as a drug addict, allegedly committed robberies between daily drug-seeking excursions.
  • PC People, page 7. This roundup column features notable achievements including Hisateru Mitsuda receiving an American Chemical Society award for his enriched rice research benefiting Japan’s nutrition, and Shin Yasuda being named manager of Orient sales for Pan American World Airways. It also reports on a Seattle political contest where the Alliance of Chinese Associations endorsed a challenger against incumbent King County Councilwoman Ruby Chow.
  • Youth Sentenced to Five Years for Robbery, page 8. An 18-year-old Montebello youth, Mitchell Miyahata, was sentenced to five years in the California Youth Authority for a string of armed robberies committed in May. Miyahata was arrested during a liquor store holdup and later admitted to additional robberies, pleading guilty to two counts of armed robbery.
  • Matsuyama, Sacramento Sign Sister City Pact, page 8. Matsuyama, Japan and Sacramento, California became sister cities in a ceremony attended by mayors Tokio Nakamura and Phillip Isenberg along with 26 Japanese delegates and Consul General Hiroshi Kitamura. Mayor Nakamura announced Matsuyama has budgeted 500 million yen to send students to the U.S. to foster closer ties and promote peace.
  • ‘Root for JACCC’ Plant Sale Nets $2,000, page 8. The first ‘Root for JACCC’ plant sale held during Nisei Week netted over $2,000 for the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center, thanks to coordination by JACCC board members and plant donations from numerous nurseries. The event was organized under the leadership of board members overseeing the fundraiser.
  • Isamu Noguchi Donates Work to New York Museum, page 8. A seven-ton black basalt abstract sculpture titled ‘Unidentified Object,’ completed by artist Isamu Noguchi in 1979, was donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art by the Isamu Noguchi Foundation. This marks the fourth work by Noguchi to enter the museum’s collection, the first having been acquired in 1934.
  • FOLTA Launches Its 1982 Membership Campaign, page 8. The Friends of Little Tokyo Arts, which has raised close to $300,000 for public art in Little Tokyo over four years, is launching its 1982 membership drive under president George Takei. The group has previously helped install murals and sculptures in Little Tokyo and operates Window Art Galleries funded by a city grant.
  • Union Church Slates Sept. 12 Bazaar, page 8. The Union Church in Los Angeles will hold its bazaar on September 12 from noon to 6 p.m., featuring food, cultural displays, and games.

Commentary

  • Asian Gangs: How Serious?, page 3. This guest editorial examines the rise of Asian youth gangs in Los Angeles, noting they are less organized than established black and Hispanic gangs but still pose problems involving drugs and violence. The piece argues most gang members are not vicious thugs but disenfranchised, scared youths, and suggests community programs could channel gang energy in positive directions.
  • Port 1, by Harry Honda, page 4. Editor Harry Honda describes the Pacific Citizen’s new computerized membership and circulation system, dubbed ‘Port 1,’ developed through access to Tyler Tanaka’s Japan Orient Tours office computer terminal. The first test printout was an expiration report for San Diego JACL members, with the chapter having pursued computerization since 1966, though full implementation of regular PC labels remains months away.
  • Battle of Ellwood, by Shigeo Takayama, page 4. A reader recounts his personal experience as a soldier stationed near Pasadena during the WWII submarine attack on the California coast near Santa Barbara, describing how his unit was mobilized and ammunition was released despite supply officer objections. He also describes his engineer unit’s assignment to map and plan destruction of bridges in Southern California in case of invasion.
  • CWRIC Hearings, by Jorge Ueda, page 4. A reader from Sao Paulo, Brazil describes being moved by television coverage of the CWRIC hearings and documentary footage of relocation camps. He expresses hope that the Commission will reach concrete results to rehabilitate the victims of the wartime incarceration.
  • Big Redress Push, by Violet Kazue de Cristoforo and Wilfred H. de Cristoforo, page 4. Co-chairs of the Salinas JACL Chapter Redress Committee warn that JACL chapters risk losing National Redress Coordinator John Tateishi due to insufficient funding, noting that only 14 of many NCWN-P District Council chapters have turned in their allocated contributions. They urge JACL members to increase financial support to sustain the redress campaign through its final, most critical stage before Congress.
  • Purpose of the Redress Hearings, by Sochi Seko, page 4. In this personal column, the author reflects on a complicated friendship with a woman named Lois, whose father died on the Bataan Death March, and who believed the incarceration of Japanese Americans was justified despite her affection for the author. As the Redress hearings move to California, the author notes the hearings’ primary purpose is public education, though she doubts it will change Lois’s feelings.
  • The Nobility of Culture, by Bill Marutani, page 5. Columnist Bill Marutani reflects on childhood memories of watching Issei craftsman Mr. Tsubota wood-carving intricate panels later discovered displayed in a Buddhist temple altar. He muses on the hidden cultural talents of the Issei generation, including his own mother’s samisen playing, and wonders whether the Nisei generation lost touch with such artistic traditions.

In-Depth

  • ‘Wartime Tanka’: Evacuee Poems, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Columnist Bill Hosokawa discusses Dr. Peter T. Suzuki’s scholarly study of wartime tanka poetry written by Issei and Kibei evacuees, found in WRA records and translated by George Kushida. The poems express themes of loneliness, loyalty, and sacrifice during incarceration, highlighting an overlooked literary contribution by Japanese Americans.

Obituaries

  • Senji Duke Ogata aka Kubota, page 6. A funeral notice for Senji Duke Ogata, also known as Kubota, was listed with Fukui Mortuary services. Details of his life were not elaborated in the listing.

JACL

  • EDC-MDC—A Huge Success, by Frank Sakamoto, page 6. 1000 Club chair Frank Sakamoto praises the St. Louis chapter and convention chairman George Sakaguchi for a successful EDC-MDC convention, and congratulates John Tani on his election as Midwest District governor. Sakamoto also discusses upcoming increases in 1000 Club and Century Club life membership fees and urges members to recruit new club members to support JACL funding amid staff reductions.

Sports

  • Alameda Golf Meet Winners Announced, page 8. Winners of the recent Alameda JACL golf tournament were announced across several flights including Handicap, Senior Citizen, and Calloway divisions. Tosh Shibata, Junji Doami, and Bob Utsumi placed in the Handicap Flight, while Etch Utsumi led the Senior Citizen Flight.

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